Amy and Amnesia
by Phantom of the Fiction
Summary: Amy Falls to Aljandira with no memory of who she is. Sonic and co. find her...as a bounty hunter? Even if she can remember who she used to be, will Amy ever go back? Rating for awesome battles and overuse of hammers. Many OCs,Possible shadamy, we'll see.
1. Chapter I: Yup, it's an amnesia story

**The beginning of a new story! It looks like crap, but I love it so, it's so weird.**

**This is "Amy + Amnesia", but the title doesn't allow + signs so I had to improvise there. Depending on reviews, i might put ShadowXAmy, or SonicXAmy, we'll see how it goes.**

**"Chapter I: Yup, we're doing an amnesia story, just like Family guy."**

* * *

How this ever happened to Amy, she might never know. It's a wonder she even knew her name was Amy; everything else was such a blank.

Well, that and the few, terrifying moments she had to go though leading up to her current situation...

* * *

**Rewind: 30 minutes earlier**

Amy Rose was having what she would consider a normal day.

"Hey, Sonic! I was wonder-"

"Aw, crap! Later Tails, gotta run!"

Every day, she would chase Sonic, in hopes that he would finally return his feelings in the way she had hoped for for so long. Every day, he instead did his usual: running off, not to be seen by Amy for the rest of the day.

It'd been quite some time since Sonic and co. had had a victory over any villian. The last one they ever defeated was Eggman.

* * *

_"It's over Eggman!" Sonic shouted for the umpteenth time as he cornered Eggman. "There's nothing standing between us now! Get ready to fight!" This was the fianl battle; the last showdown. Sonic and Eggman were in the cockpit of Eggman's lastest giant chaos emerald-powered robot. Rouge, Amy, Tails and Knuckles were all in the room, ready to immiediately disarm Eggman if he tried to run. _

_"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, hedgehog." Spat Dr. Eggman, as he pulled a lever that was conveintently placed on the wall beside him._

_"Self-destruct sequence initiated. Destructing in T minus 30 seconds." The computer's robotic voice started counting down to total annilation. 'Twenty-nine, twenty-eight..."_

_"So, hedgehog, what will it be?" The obese docter smirked. "Go after me? Or save your friends?"_

_Sonic scowled. "Shads, you're the fastest, help the others get out of here!"_

_"Hey, we're perfectly capable of getting outta here by ourselves!" Knuckles said indignently. Taking a running start, Knuckes simply catapulted himself out the window, climbing down the limbs of the Eggman robot. On the way out, he pushed past a certain doctor trying to secure an escape pod for himself, spinning him like a top._

_With a "Take care, Sonic!" Tails, well, _tailed _him out of there, using his whirring tails to fly himself out of here. He too caused Eggman to spin around in a humiliating fashion._

_"See you later, sweetie." With a wink, Rouge took off flying out the hole Knuckles had left. She was quickly followed by Shadow, who was carrying Amy._

_"Five, four..."_

_Sonic got ready to follow the others. "Hey Egghead, how are you getting out of here?" He told a still woozy doctor. With a triumphant grin, he sped out the shattered window in a trademark blur._

_Eggman's face showed his realization of his fatal predicament. "Oh sh-"_

_BOOM. The supersized Eggman robot toppled to the ground like a fallen soldier, while everyone else watched from a safe distance, bruised, tired, but alive._

* * *

And with Eggman defeated and probably dead, the time of peace had left our blue hero (and everyone else) with nothing to do. Two years had passed, and the now 14 year-old rose had blossemed. Though her hair remained short, that, and her favourite weapon, was the only thing that remained the same. Amy had grown, grown out her clothes (ditching her red dress for a frilly white shirt, decorative black belt worn over it, and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans) , her body, and her old personality, even her self proclomation of her being Sonic's girlfriend... however, that didn't stop him from running.

Running for chili dogs.

Running races.

Running around the world.

Running away from Amy.

Amy dropped her voice down to a whisper. "I just wanted to invite him to my birthday party, the nerve!" She muttered to herself. "Hey Tails, if you see him, tell Sonic that I'm inviting to my birthday party tomorrow."

"Uh huh, will do." Tails answered, not even looking away from his newest blueprints. "You do realize he probably won't come, right?"

No, he would rather hang out with Tails, or tease Shadow, or flirt with that _insufferable_ Sally Acorn. Despite her many attempts throughout the day to develop even a friendly relationship with Sonic (As she matured mentally, she grew out her obbsesion with her blue hero) , he kept away from her like two north sides of two magnets. And after about twelve hours of being rejected, Amy would simply give up for the day, drag herself home, and hope for something better the next day.

For some reason though... today was different. As she finally made it to the door of her empty home, something inside her snapped. She fell to her knees, fighting back tears.

_What's the use? I'll never be able to be close to Sonic, not even be friends. He just won't stop running away... _

Her head turned to face the woods that resided beside her house, peaceful and calm. A little walk ought to help her with her heatache, help her calm down at least.

Picking her way through the forest that surrounded her house, she began to catch sight of a mossy wall that was peeking though the vegatation. What is that? Squeezing herself between two close-growing trees, she revealed to her eyes a tall, stone structure not unlike a Mayan pyramid.

_That can't be right. What is a stone temple thing doing in the middle of the forest? Undiscovered? I must be crazy..._

However, after several minutes of eye-rubbing and look backs, Amy eventually accepted the fact that there was a giant stone thingy smack dab in the middle of the forest. After doing so, she realised something creepy about the building; a pitch black hole at the top that was apparently the beginning of some tunnel but didn't seem to lead anywhere. The entrance at the very top was so dark, so scary... she really shouldn't have gone inside.

She did anyways.

Eyes locked on the entrance with a mezmerized focus, Amy started to climb the edge, suprisingly doing this feat easily. (She wasn't usually so good a climber, especially if she happen to be staring at something that wasn't what she was climbing at the time.) Still staring as she pulled herself to the top, Amy wiped her plant-juice stained hands on her dress and went inside.

_Wow._ The only word that could come to Amy's mind. _Wow. _The inside of the temple/pyramid/whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-it was covered from ceiling to floor in intricate carvings, capturing the pink hedgehog's interest. The carvings appeared to be pictures made by people long forgotten, as they were mostly over overgrown with vines and various other plants.

Stone pillars stood perfectly spaced, and despite the vegation's efforts to erode any part of them, each one was as unblemished by cracks as if they were built yesterday.

In fact, the only imperfection that Amy could find was a hole in the floor, close to one of the walls., the edge crumbling slightly. Amy looked down. It was almost as pitch black as the entrance.

_Whoa, wouldn't want to fall down there._

Walking along the smooth cool stones that made up the ground of the temple, she traced the carvings until her eyes caught sight on a very old inscription. THough at first she couldn't read the words, they seemed to twist and contort themselves, turning from mumbo-jumbo into english, and revealing a very disturbing 'poem'.

First comes pain,

Then comes death,

Then comes the villian's curse

from his very last breath.

One hero will arrive,

Down she will fall,

She will kill the Acursed

And end it for all.

And underneath the words Amy saw a very clear picture of... _her. _Amy was a little taken aback, jumping away from her face on the wall. Unfortunatly, when her feet went back, they didn't hit the floor like they were supposed to. They kept going, taking the rest of her body with them.

Before she knew it, Amy was falling, and screaming, as a line of the poem suddenly crossed her mind.

_Down she will fall... oh God._

Not wanting to die a painful death, Amy lashed out her hand, catching the edge of the hole with her hand. Unfortunately, the place her hand caught happened to be the few that suffered from erosion. The edge cracked, and cracked, and was gone.

Amy went back to falling and screaming, before the darkness swallowed her mind and her body.

* * *

**Like, love it? Hate it so much you want to destroy the computer?**

**Tell me and review!**


	2. Chapter II: Say what?

__

**Wow. **

**Almost within an hour of posting my first chapter, I've already gotten reviews. Thank you, Sensitive girl and ShadAmyLoverfan! You know what?**

**I might just make this ShadAmy. Pretty good for my first Sonic the Hedgehog story, no? **

**I just hope I don't turn the plot into a horrific mess; I've already changed some aspects of the story. At least I have an idea of what'll happen next.**

**"Chapter II: Say what?"**

* * *

"Hey, Cocoa, hurry up with those herbs, will you? We need to get these back home before night falls. You know how those Skurs are." A rabbit called to her daughter from the house.

A ten year-old, dark brown rabbit with lighter coloured spots and light blue eyes poked her head up, her back still bent with work. "Coming mom!"

Cocoa sighed. Life was so different in Aljandria from back at Mobius. Unless this was still somewhere on Mobius, she couldn't tell. Most people, like the Longhairs' neighbor, Speed, an electric blue mongoose, had lived in Aljandria their whole lives. A few, however, like Cocoa and her mother Cherry, came to Aljandria by Falling. Falling didn't happen too often, after all, the portals only showed themselves for those who were chosen to share the certain destiny, to "kill the accursed and end it for all", as the weird poem quoted.

Slate's End, the small town she lived in, wasn't that different from her former home, only that it seemed to be "Medieval times" and "Wild wild west" stuck in a blender and mashed together. There wasn't any electricity, and there seemed to be a little less of everything than she was used to. A little less technology, a little less people... and a little less safety.

Take the Creepers for instance. They were ugly things, like a dark green, enlarged tick the size of your hand. A nocturnal tick that flew and stung, with an insatiable thirst for blood that made vampires look like mosquitoes. They invaded Slate's End in the summer season, in large crowds. The only way to get a Skur off you was to cut their dead jaws out of your flesh. The only way to _keep _them off you was burning the incense of certain herbs at night, like the ones Cocoa was collecting now. It was a small white flower called a Snow White, with blue-green foliage. They were quite effective when burned.

Cocoa had just finished getting her needed herbs when her ears perked up. Sounded like rocks cracking... oh dear. She turned her head just in time to see a pink hedgehog, no, an unconscious pink hedgehog, was falling straight towards her.

"Oh god! MOM!" She panicked.

Someone had just Fallen.

* * *

Cocoa wasn't the only one to witness Amy plunge down to the earth. A large, midnight coloured hawk had just finished robbing a general store when his eyes caught a black dot falling from the sky above.

Grinning maliciously, he turned to the rest of his gang; all of them birds, all of them buff, and all of them evil-looking. "Well, well. Looks like we gots us some fresh meat."

* * *

When Amy was coming to, she realized a number of things:

1) She wasn't dead. **Good.**

2) She was lying on something warm and comfortable, meaning that someone had found her and bought her in. **Good.**

3) She had an excruciating headache and a spot on her head felt like it was bleeding. **Bad.**

Sitting up and rubbing her left temple, where her head hurt the most, she moaned, "Ohhh, my head."

"Glad to see you're awake." Amy looked up. A kindly looking rabbit with dark pink fur and green eyes was leaning over her. "You took quite a fall, bumping your head like that. It's a good thing my daughter Cocoa found you," She gestured to a younger-looking rabbit that was sitting on her other side, "Or you might not had made it. My name is Cherry, by the way, Cherry Longhair."

Before Amy could ask any questions, the rabbit named Cocoa popped a few of her own. "Who are you? And how did you get here?"

"My name's Amy, and I... I..." She paused, her mind drawing a blank. How did she get here? "I don't know how I got here."

Cocoa and Cherry exchanged worrying looks. Without knowing what apparition she saw before she fell, Amy wouldn't be able to tell what part she would play in battling the Acursed.

"Is it amnesia? Can you remember anything?" Cherry questioned.

"I... it's... no, I can't remember, it's all a blank. Who am I? How did I get here?" Amy was clutching her head.

"You Fell." Cocoa said, her voice hushed. Don't worry, it's happened to us two as well, we-"

"Cocoa, Amy needs rest. We'll explain it all to her once she's healed. We might not be able to get her memory back, but the least we can do is take care of her wounds. You just lay down rest, Amy, we'll explain it to you later."

"Okay."

The two rabbits left the room, leaving Amy to stare at the ceiling, lost in thought. With no memory of who she was, she was lost. Was she a hero? A criminal? Why couldn't she remember? A pang of heartache from she didn't know what resurfaced. Did she even want to remember? She was still wondering until when her mind was finally captured by sleep.

When she awoke, Cocoa was sitting next to her, breathing a sigh of relief. "Good, you're alive. You are a sound sleeper, I've been trying to wake you for _forever._"

"So, what happened to me? To you?" Amy wondered out loud. "You said something about falling but I don't understand, how did I end up here?"

"Well, for you to understand, we have to start at the beginning, when this whole mess began." Taking a deep breath, Cocoa told her tale.

* * *

_It happened a long time ago, like, _really_long ago, in this world. This land is called Aljandria, and we're in a town called Slate's End. _

_It was here that it was rumoured that Valtrix was defeated. Valtrix was this bad guy that tried using dark magic to conquer Aljandria. He went up against this other person, what was him name again, oh yeah! Jacob the Defender, who wanted peace to reign. He used magic too, though not the evil kind. Jacob and Valtirx were the last two magical beings in this world. There was this real big, bloody war that happened between them. On Jacob's side, were the people, the soldier and farmers, you know, ordinary folk. On Valtrix's side, he used dark magic to make summon beasts from the Underworld to do his bidding. _

_In the very last battle, Valtrix and Jacob were going one on one. Jacob managed to strike a death blow to Valtrix, but with his very last breath, Valtrix set a curse on Jacob. He tied the most powerful beast of the Underworld to Jacob's soul, and so, when Jacob died, his own magic would be used to unleash that beast to the world. That beast is called the Acursed. Valtrix then died, leaving Jacob to suffer his curse._

_Because of his magic, Jacob is be able to live longer than others, but it didn't mean he would live forever. And I say "is" 'cuz he's still alive. Anyways, Jacob created the portals, which transprorted the Chosen ones here, that's what you fell through. He left a stone carved with the prophecy and then just... vanished._

_The Chosen are the people who are destined to defeat the accursed. There's the Messenger, the Healer, the Fighter, the Defender, and the Defeater. Depending on which one you are is what you saw before you Fell. You remember falling down a hole, right? You didn't just fall, you got tranported to another world._

_The Messenger is the one who can tell when the Acursed has been unleashed. That's me, and why I know Jacob's alive. I haven't felt anything yet. I'm scared, though; I don't know what'll happen to me when Jacob does die. I saw a library and Fell though a space in between some books._

_The Healer is my mom. She's the only one who I've ever seen bring a person back to life! She has to do it quickly after they die, though. Something about spirits escaping... She followed me soon after I fell, but she said she saw a graveyard with an empty grave in it._

_The Defender helps the people, and tries to stop the Acursed from hurting too many people._

_The Fighter is supposed to beat down the Acursed along with the Defeater._

_The Defeater is going to deal the final blow to the Acursed. Either that kills it, or Aljandria is doomed forever._

_If you don't believe me, then come me to town square. That's where the stone is, but some pieces of broke off but you can still read most of it._

* * *

Amy took a few minutes to mull it over. The story seemed to fit. She didn't remember much, but she knew for sure she was from Mobius. "Can we go see the stone now?"

Cocoa nodded in earnest. It's a bit far, 'cuz we live at the edge of town. But we can get there, sure.

"Okay." Amy sighed and pulled herself from the bed. "Let's get going."

* * *

**Two chapters in one day, I am on a roll.**

**I am truly sorry for the long, italicized bit with crappy quality. I tried writing it from a ten-year-old's point of view, but I may have messed up big time.**

**If you're wondering, Sonic and the rest aren't coming for a while. Sorry, but I plan to flesh out Amy's place in Aljandria first. You already know from the summary she's going to become a bounty hunter. Guess what her favourite weapon will be!**

**What do you think of all the wacky names?**


	3. Chapter III: Amy goes through Angst

**New chapter! I probably won't be able to keep up a one-a-day update for long; I've got other stories to attend to. But for now, enjoy!**

**"Chapter III: Amy goes through angst, then acceptance."**

* * *

Before the Longhairs and Amy could go to city hall, however, they had to make a detour to Slate's End's market. "So we can get you some clothes that blend in." Cocoa explained. She needed it. Amy's tank top and jean ensemble would appear too strange, too different, in Aljandria's old-fashioned setting. Girls here wore frilly dresses, not skinny jeans.

Usually they would go to one of the ever present shops in town, but, as the market sold clothes cheaper than the stores, they decided on going there instead.

The market was a much different place than the Longhair's mostly solitary home, full of humans and animals alike, wandering about or working in stalls and tents. There was a countless number of things for sale, and the vendors, lined up along the road, were all shouting about their merchandise.

"Shoes!"

"Beer!"

"Flowers!"

Amy gasped in awe. "Wow, this is how busy Slate's End is?"

"The market, yes." Cherry replied. "However the edges of town, where we live, doesn't have quite as much people."

It was rather hard to hear with so many people shouting.

"Traveling cloaks! I've got fur cloaks, leather cloaks, cloaks embedded with jewels, you name it, I got it!" One vendor, a shifty-eyed weasel, was shouting particularly loud.

"Dresses! Suits! Clothes for every occasion!"

"Ah, here we are." Cherry led the other two into the tent of the clothes vendor. Amy was pleasantly surprised to find out that Aljandria's currency was rings, and even more surprised to see she had quite a few in her pockets, meaning she could pay for her things herself.

_After all, they've already done so much for me. The least I can do is buy my own stuff._

She chose a simple dress, deep red with a purple hem and medium length skirt. Good for running. "Ah, who might this lovely lady be?", asked the crow that was selling the clothes as Amy and Cherry were paying the dress, a big smile on his face.

"A newcomer." Cherry replied curtly.

The crow's smile disappeared. "She Fell, didn't she? Aye, it's just a matter of time, once the other two Fall..."He shook his head sadly.

As they were leaving, Amy asked Cherry, "He knows about me? How?"

"Those who Fall are common knowledge, at least at Slate's End." Cherry explained. "The people here know full well what happened all those years ago, and they believe it as well. However, some that come from other parts are more skeptical."

Cocoa started jumping up and down impatiently. "So are we going to town square or what?" She whined.

Cherry laughed. "You're anxious to see Speed again, aren't you?" She told a blushing brown rabbit.

"Course not." Her daughter grumbled, suddenly taking an interest in the grinding her foot into the ground. "Kay, maybe a little." She said softer still.

Amy giggled too. "Well, off we go."

* * *

"Town square" wasn't really a Town Square, but instead a nickname for four perpendicular roads crossing each other, hence the name. Though there were no building in the square itself, it was surround by shops such as a bakery, a blacksmith, and a jail. (Amy was rather scared by the jail's intimidating appearance.)

Cocoa pointed to the middle of the square. "See? There it is."

Instead of a stereotypical fountain that you would expect to be in this setting, there, dead-center, was a smooth, flat stone. Amy walked over to it and bent down. The top was a little over grown with mold, but the words were still readable:

_Here shall lie the end of the Accursed, where five saviors will be sent from-_

_And shall strike it down and create peace for Aljandria._

_The Messenger, who shall fortell the Acursed's rebirth, and whose symbol is the s-_

_The Healer, who may prevent death, and whose symbol is the grave._

_The Defender, who shall save the innocents, and whose symbol is the castle._

_The Fighter, who, along side the Defeater, shall do battle with the Accursed, and whose sym-_

_The Defeater, who shall lay waste to the Accursed or forever doom Aljandria, and whose symbo-_

However, an ugly diagonal line sliced through the rock, and where there used to be rock was nothing, like someone had simply cut a piece off.

Amy sighed secretly she'd been hoping that it was all some insane rumour, that she just got lost and bumped her head or something. But this rock was defying that, telling her that her past life, and any memory of that, was now gone, that _this _was her life now. And even if she did ever find out who she used to be, even if she wanted to go back, she never could.

"So it's all true. Cocoa saw a library, so she's the Messenger, Cherry is the Healer because she saw a graveyard. I'm either the Defender, Fighter, or the Defeater, but what's the use of trying to find out? Even if I can remember, there's a whole chunk of rock missing. There's a whole chink of my memory missing. There's a whole chunk of _who I am _missing!" It was more than she could take. Amy started getting emotional again, quivering slightly.

Cherry tried to comfort her. "Cocoa and I have been here for a whole year, and nothing's happened. What we have to concentrate on now is helping you adjust to Aljandria. You'll stay with us, and we'll help you get used to living here. It won't be so bad; we might even get your memory back. The time to fight will come when it comes."

Amy took deep breaths, calming down. _She's right. if they've been here in peace for a whole year, maybe that means I can live in peace too. I just need to adjust, get used to this place and get ready, so when the time comes, I'll be prepared... besides, being with Cocoa and Cherry won't be so bad. _"I guess you're right." Standing up, she wiped away a few spare tears. "We have to stick together."

Cocoa smiled at the prospect of getting a bigger sister. "So are you going to live with us? Can she mom? Can she?"

"Of course." Cherry smiled. 'Birds of a feather flock together."

"You mean, birds that all end up falling down a giant creepy hole flock together. Let's go home." Joked Amy, the word _home _rolling off her tongue.

They turned back the way they came, ready to go home. Upon upon passing the bakery, however, Amy noticed a blue mongoose about Cocoa's age catch sight of the three . Eyes lighting up, he ran out of the store, yelling "Hi guys!" as he ran towards them.

"Speed!" With an exuberant jump, Cocoa landed herself on Speed, hugging him tightly. "Amy, this is Speed." Cocoa introduced them. "He's our neighbor."

Putting Cocoa down, Speed reached to shake Amy's hand. "Hey, the name Speed. I'm the Longhairs' neighbor, but you know how jobs are," He joked. "Eating up all my time; you'd think I lived here instead!"

"His real name's Samuel, but we just call him Speed, cuz he's fast." Cocoa told Amy.

"And it fits too!" Speed boasted. "I bet I'm the fastest thing alive."

Amy's heart gave a her a jolt of recognition. _Fastest thing alive? Where have I heard that before? Could it be something I used to know?_

_No, of course not, how ridiculous._

"Amy? Amy!" Cocoa was waving her hand in front of Amy's face.

"Huh, what?"

"You fazed out."

"Huh. It's nice to meet Spe- ow!" Amy yelped in mild suprise as a piece of paper hit her in the face. "What's this?"

Speed took the offending paper, glanced at it, and handed it back to Amy. "Just a wanted poster. There's loads hung up on the wall of the jail, this one must have blown off in the wind. There's tons of criminals on the loose, and since most people are afraid to deal with them, the town council offers a reward in rings for each captured baddie, depending on who you caught."

"Huh. You don't say." Amy read through the poster.

WANTED

Duke Wanher, better known as "Scarseye"

Crimes: Multiple robberies, assult, illegal slave trading.

Description: Black hawk, heavy set build. Blue eyes, one is blind with a scar running through.  
Leader of the Vultures, a notorius bird gang.

Reward: 1000 rings.

Below those words was a badly drawn picture of what seemed to be a black blur with wings. _He doesn't look so tough. Still, that picture doesn't look like anything._

Her thoughts were interrupted by Cherry. "It's getting dark soon. We should be going home."

"Bye Speed!" Cocoa waved her hand furiously at the blue mongoose. "Come on, Amy!"

"I'm coming." Still with a thoughtful look on her face, she let the worn brown paper slip through her hands, following them back home, leaving the poster to flutter in the breeze.

* * *

**Ah, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Oh, and the start of the possible end of the world, what with the Accursed hanging around and what not.**

**So, what do you think? I apologize deeply, but my writing quality is going through a rough patch here. What basically happened in this chapter is that Amy accepts her current situation, then decides to shove the whole "Accursed" thing aside for now, and is eventually going to start a career beating up bad guys. A _bit_ of a plot hole there.**

**Why are you looking at me like that?**

**Okay, fine, it's a HUGE plot hole, happy now?**

**Hole or not, keep reviewing! I love to read them no matter what they say. I'm also taking requests to write oneshots with a plot of your choice! Just send it to me in a review or PM!**


	4. Chapter IV: He DESERVED it

**Back! This might be the last update for a while, what with school coming up so soon. I've got the plot for the next few chapters figured out, so I just gotta write it out. This is probably the longest chapter I have EVER written, so enjoy, and be grateful!**

**Remember, the "one-shot machine" is still open. Just send me an email with your requested plot, genre, rating,serious or silly, etcetera, and I'll post it in your honor.**

**But wait, if you wanted a fanfic written, wouldn't you want to write it yourself? Instead of demanding it from another person and laugh as you watch their pathetic attempts to do so?**

**YEAH, but what's the fun of that?**

**"Chapter IV: He DESERVED it."**

**You'll get the meaning soon enough.**

* * *

The bulk of Amy's next day would be spent getting used to life in Aljandria, starting with an abrupt awakening.

"Hey Amy, wake up!" A voice whisphered in her ear.

_Nnhg, five more minutes. _She thought, too tired to speak out loud. _I still feel like I just went to bed._

"AMY!" The voice was shouting now.

If she was tired then, the pink hedgehog was wide awake now. "Whoa, I'm up, quiet down!" She exclaimed, jumping out her warm comfortable bed onto the cold stone floor. Looking out her bedroom window (well, technically it was her's and Cocoa's; they shared a room) she saw the sun only just above the horizon line. "What are we doing up so early?"

"Chores." Cocoa answered simply. "We need to buy food, and get you a job, and gather herbs for burning in the nightime." Amy remembered Cherry lighting a strange-smelling fire in a pot on the windowsill, but at the time she didn't know what it was there for. _So that's what the smell was. But why are they burning herbs? _"What do we need to burn hubs for?"

"Keeps away the skurs." Cocoa was getting a little impatient now.

Amy wasn't sure what she was talking about, but wanted to find out. "Wait, what are skurs?"

"Giant green bloodsucking ticks with wings and a stinger." Cocoa replied in a suprisingly nonchalant tone. "They're real pests."

" 'Giant green bloodsucking ticks with wings and a stinger?' If that's a pest, I'd hate to see what you call a nuisance!"

Cocoa giggled. "That's why we use herbs. They're like bug spray, only you set them on fire. Now come on! There's lots I wanna show you!"

For such a small kid, Cocoa was quite strong, dragging Amy through the house and out the door. Despite the feeling of antiqueness that Aljandria gave off, the Longhair household was no rural farm. Despite the lack of technology, it was still quite nice, with wood doors between the rooms and soft linen sheets on the beds. In some places, knick-knack would clutters a spot, usually where Cocoa kept them. There were two comfy bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen that doubled as a dining room. There was a wood porch out side as well. Very Anne of Green Gables like.

Once outside, Cocoa led to the garden that resided beside the house. It wasn't so much a garden a large, overgrown patch of vegation that was filled of plants and rocks of different kinds. And so, crouching on their hands and feet, they rooted around for plants that weren't just grass and dandelions.

"We'd grow them ourselves, but for some reason they die whenever we put them in a pot." Cocoa said with a sigh. "Mom is working on it, though. After this, we need to hang them and let the plants dry."

Cocoa showed Amy what plants where effective against the skurs. One was a thin, twisting, light green vine with creamy yellow flowers named Angel's snare. Another, a heavyset spiky short one that didn't produce flowers called Giant Bane. ("Because it's a pain to get out of the ground. Get it, pain, bane?" Amy joked badly.)

They even a slight dent in the array of wildflowers that showed where Amy, when she Fell, had landed. "Wow." Cocoa said as they stared at the dent. "Feels like it happened just yesterday, huh?"

"That's because it _did_ happen yesterday!" Amy answered, and she and Cocoa were sent giggling again, before going back to work.

_Even though I can't remember my old life, I'd like to think I had a friend like Cocoa._

After after a few minutes of scrounging about, and enough herbs had been picked and hung, Amy and Cocoa straightened their backs. "'Kay, _that _should be enough to stop the skurs from sucking our blood." Amy fell back, landing on her bottom. "So, what's next?"

"Shopping. We buy milk and eggs everyday, and flour, soap, and other stuff when we run low on them. you know, stuff." Amy still didn't remember the way back to town square, where all the shops were, so Cocoa led the way on the beaten dirt road.

"So.. what do you after you finish buying groceries?" Amy wondered.

"On everyday 'cept Sunday, we work at our jobs."

"Wait a minute, you have a job?"

Cocoa shrugged. "Sure. I'm an errand runner, Mom runs an apothecary, Speed works at a bakery. In Aljandria, _everyone's _got a job. Which is why, today, we're finding you one!"

* * *

Quite a while later, a dark brown rabbit with light spots and a pink furred hedgehog lay side by side on their backs, panting as they lay is front of the Longhair household. It was pretty obvious they had been running a lot.

Although the shopping was easy enough, the animal duo had completely failed on getting Amy a job.

Baking didn't work.

* * *

_"Hi guys!" Speed, kneading a roll of dough, was they first thing they saw as Cocoa led Amy into the house of sweets._

_Cocoa was happy to see him."Hi Speed! I was wondering, are you guys hiring?"_

_Speed pointed at the 'Help Wanted' sign on the window. "Of course. There's a sign right there saying so."_

_For the first time since she Fell, Amy saw Cocoa sweat drop. "Right," she muttered to herself, obviously embarrassed. "Must've missed it."_

_"So you really spend all day making _these?_" Amy sniffed the many goodies on display, letting out a sigh of pleasure. "They smell delicious!"_

_"Yup. It's loads of fun, trust, me." Speed was now spreading flour on the dough he was kneading, creating a puffy white cloud around him. "You can make cakes, cookies, cupcakes, bread sticks, anything you want, really. And the pay is good too. I supposed the only downside is that there's flour floating around all the time, but you get used to it."_

_Amy smiled. "That's sound so fun! Cocoa, I think I've found my- achoo!" Her sentence was stopped in mid-sentence by a sneeze that was strong enough to blow Speed's baker's hat off his head._

_"You okay?" The other two ask in unison, concerned._

_"Yeah, just Choo! a litt-Choo! sneeze- Choo! Achoo!" There was no stopping Amy now._

_"Yeah, I think we better keep looking. Bye Speed!" And Cocoa pushed a still sneezing Amy out the door._

_"No really, I'm- Choo! fine."_

* * *

Blacksmithing was worse.

* * *

_"Mornin'!" Greeted the blacksmith, an elderly lizard with a flowing beard. " I see you want to try your hand at blacksmithing."_

_While the lizard was talking, Amy lowered her voice so only Cocoa could hear. "Are you sure this a good idea? I know I told you I'm tomboyish, but not quite that much."_

_"Sure it is!" Was the reply. "You said you liked to work with your hands, too, right? This fits the description perfectly!"_

_"...true."_

_"Blacksmithing is the art of shaping metal. To be a truly great one, you have to have patience, strength, and timing." Droned the blacksmith. He'd been going on for some time now. Something about hitting the metal at just the right temperature or whatever. "Observe." Suddenly raising his hand above his head, he struck the piece of steel he was currently working with, causing sparks to fly. _

_One of them flew to close to Amy, and with an "Eek!" she panicked and ran out of the workshop. _

_"Wait, Amy, come back! It was just a spark. Sorry, Mr. Blacksmith." And Cocoa went after her._

_It wasn't until she ran a fair distance that Amy dared stop. "I just remembered... I'm... afraid of... fire..." Amy said between pants, to an equally tired Cocoa._

_"Nice... to... know..."_

* * *

And bar tending... was something both hedgehog and rabbit agreed to _never_ speak about again.

* * *

_"Well, hun, you look cute enough, and you mix those drinks pretty well," The bar's manager, a white bat with a shock of blond hair, concluded. "But we need to see how you get along with the actual customers. Look, there's one now, now how 'bout we your charms at work?"_

_After a mere five minutes, Amy was storming out the bar, Cocoa in tow. "I quit!"_

_The bat called after her, "But hun, you didn't even get the job yet! "_

_"I'm not taking any chances!" Was the reply._

_"Was that really necessary?"_

_"Hey, that guy slapped my butt, he DESERVED to get punched." Amy was still fuming._

* * *

"You _know_ I'm right."

"I guess. It'll be a while 'till we'll be allowed back in there- wait what was that?"

"What was what?"

"I heard something. It was coming from the garden. Wait here." Cocoa heaved herself up, and hopped of to the side of the house.

She gasped, and with good reason, too. Crouched over the drying herbs was something... or someone.

"Aw, does the wittle wabbit want his plants back?" The thing straightened itself, revealing itself to be a scrawny, but tall, blackbird. Dangling the bundle well above Cocoa's reach, he leered at her. "Then come an' get them."

Trying to sound more couragous than she really was, she put on a brave face. "You asked for it."

As you all should know, Cocoa happened to be a rabbit, and rabbits happen to have very powerful hind legs. Cocoa decided to put those legs into good use. Jumping up, she rapidly kicked the stranger in the face, somersaulting as she snatched the herbs out of his grasp before returning to the ground with a thump. "And she sticks the landing!"

The un-named blackbird stepped back, wings clutching his beak. "Argh! You're gonna get it now, you brat!" A wing swung at her, knocking the rabbit to the ground. He then stepped on Cocoa's body, claws pinning her to the ground.

Cocoa struggled against her scaly cage, but to no avail. "Lemme go! Lemme go!"

"Nuh uh uh. You gotta have a lesson in respect."

As the bird leaned forward, his face became clear. Cocoa gasped. She recognized this bird from some of the wanted posters drifting about.

Claw, he was a member of the largest and most powerful gang in Aljandria, the Creepers. The Creepers, depending on the town, committed crimes from petty terrorism to genocide. Claw in particular was responsible for many crimes, like robbery, vandalism, and, what was it, again? With a rush of adrenaline, she remembered.

Slave trading.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! If I get enough reviews, you'll get the next chapter tomorrow. Yup, I'm blackmailing you, MUAHAHA- *cough.***

**Ohh, what's gonna happen next? Chances are, you probably know.**

**OR DO YOU?**

**Nah, it's pretty obvious.**

**OR MAYBE NOT?**

**Till next time, I'll just imagine you hanging off the cliffhanger I gave you.**


	5. Chapter V: A baddie get pwned

****

**Five chapters in four days. I'm pooped. I'm might be able to keep this up a little longer. You know, I spend HOURS everyday with my butt glued to a seat writing this stuff for you, so be happy! Review! Tell your friend about this story. If you don't have friends...er... make some! I could be reading a book instead of writing this, or getting some exersice, or doing some math...**

Who am I kidding? This is the best part of my day.

**"Chapter V: A baddie gets pwned, but Amy gets owned."**

* * *

Rewind: Two days earlier

The leader of the Creepers was sitting casually, leaning back with his boots propped lazily on the table. He was in one of the many secret hideouts his empire had, and was awaiting a guest to come at the moment. A guest about to arrive right about...

_Knock._

Now.

"Enter."

Duke Wanher, more commonly known as Scarseye, entered the scene. Despite the fact he was in the presence of possibly the most powerful gang leader in all of Aljandria, Scarseye appeared undeterred by this fact, speaking in a commanding tone.

"Good evening to you."

"And you. I trust your gang has considered my invitation?"

"The Vultures are honored that you have offered to merge. However-"

"However? Your gang has the opportunity to join forces with the Creepers and you have a_ however_?"

Scarseye was a little taken aback by this sudden outburst. "But-and I'm speaking here on the gangs' behalf- we can't help but feel that you've only offered this to us to get at the information we have about the Fallen ones we're spying on. We ain't too sure if we _want_ to merge."

Mr. Leader of the Creeper chuckled. "Oh Duke. Duke, Duke, Duke." Quick as a flash, he whipped out a dagger and lept forward, pressing the blade to the now nervous hawk's throat. "Do you think you have a choice? The rules of the Creepers are simple. Ask to join, and pass an initiation test, or die. Break away, and die. Refuse our generous offers, and _die_. Understood?"

Trying not to move, Scarseye answered. "Very."

"Lovely." He leaned back again, taking his previous position. "Now why don't you tell me about those Fallen ones?"

* * *

Amy still lay in front of the house, panting heavily.

_What is Cocoa up to? She's been gone a while... I hope she's okay._

A high-pitched scream told Amy that she was not okay.

_Cocoa! _

Amy was sent running to the garden. She met an alarming sight; the young rabbit was lying on the ground, a red gash on her cheek bleeding profusely. Even more alarming was the stranger who did it; a bird with one of his legs pinning Cocoa to the ground. "Ohh, so there are three of them?" He cackled madly. "The boss will be happy to hear this."

"Who are you? What are you doing? What do you what?" Amy said quickly, insticntly starting to circle the bird.

"The name is Claw, since I happen to have the sharpest ones in the gang, hee hee!" Raising the foot that wasn't pinning down Cocoa, Amy saw it was still dripping with her blood. "And I'm here to take you guys to the boss. Don't make a move, or Miss little kicks-a-lot will get another pretty red line on her face."

"Well, I've got a newsflash for you, Claw, that's not going to happen! Now let her go!"

"Make me." Claw was positive that Amy was defenseless; she had no weapons or was in any position to fight.

He was dead wrong.

"I said let. Her. GO." Amy made her move, again by instinct. Running directly at Claw, she raised her hands above her head, bring them down as hard as she could. Had she not been Amy Rose, then nothing wouldn't have happened to Claw. Unluckily for him, she was, and a hammer even bigger than Amy herself was materialized in her hands. For the second time in five minutes, Claw was smacked hard in the face and was sent sprawling onto the ground.

Cocoa, now free, scrambled to hide behind Amy's legs. "How did you do that?" She pointed at the giant hammer still in Amy's hands.

"I have no idea." Seeing as Claw was still awake, Amy decided to question him. Jumping onto his chest, she yelled 'Now what are you doing here?" To pursuade him a little more, she aimed the hammer at Claw's face once more.

''Feh, we tweren't even coming after you. I was just told to go after anyone who came round here after we kidnapped that lady rabbit."

Amy and Cocoa both realised in the same instant why Cherry had not reacted to all the commotion going on beside the house.

"You took Cherry? Where?" Amy was screaming at him.

Claw gave one last goofy look before answering. "I dunno."

"You son of a -" Amy decided not to finish her sentence with words, but rather, with another swing of her hammer. Claw's head lolled over, knocked out.

Cocoa whimpered. "They took mom, the Creepers."

Amy was still glaring at the unconscious body. "Yeah."

"Well.. what now?"

Amy sighed. "The first thing we need to do is get to the jail. Dump this creep behind bars and tell whoever's in charge there about your missing mom. Come on, you take his feet, I'll take the shoulders." Cocoa did so, and together, they walked up the path once more, this time with the unconscoius body of a criminal in hand.

* * *

The first thing they saw as they entered jail was a human, about 25 years old, sitting at her desk with a bored expression on her face. In one hand she held a nail filer,which she used on her other hand. Though the desk was facing an array of prison cells, she was facing the door instead, perhaps because all of the cells were empty.

Upon seeing Amy poke her head throught the door, she told them in a bored tone, "The Chief isn't here, so unless you're here to turn in an actual criminal, I suggest you- oh god what is that!" The woman jumped back as Amy entered further into the building, leading Claw's limp body in with her.

"A criminal we're turning in. And we need to see the Chief as soon as possible, whoever he might be, we need to report a kidnapping."

Babbling incoherantly to herself, the lady opened a desk drawer, taking out a ring of keys. With help from a certain hedgehog, Claw was put into a nearby cell. The door squeaked as it was closed and locked. Evidently it hadn't been used for a while.

"And the chief?"Cocoa asked the lady again. "Where is he?"

"You mean, where is _she_." Spoke a voice with a southern accent.

A lilac cat walked through the door. Her attire told the two that she was the Chief. Not only did she have a badge saying so, but she dressed the part as well. The chief, instead of wearing the usual dresses, was in men's attire, with running boots, pants, a white shirt, and thick coat. Her hair was caught in a ponytail, though many strands still escaped, framing her face. Two belts hung off her waist, one loaded with pistols and guns, the other with daggers and a sword. To top it off, on her head rested a black cowboy's hat with a feather in it.

Tipping her hat, the chief smiled welcomed them. "The name's Lila. Slate's End chief o' police and only resident bounty hunter. What can I do for you two gals?"

Cocoa and Amy didn't share the chief's happy mood. "Cocoa's mom was kidnapped by the Creepers." Amy blurted out, staring at the floor as she said this.

Silence.

"Oh. That's ain't good news."

"Please ma'am, can you help us?" Cocoa begged. "I'm so scared."

The cat sigh through her nose. "I'm sorry, but without help from at least one other person, there's not much of a chance of even finding you're mom, let alone saving her. Unless..."

Lila looked the two up and down. Turning to Amy, she asked, "Tell me girl, what's your name?"

The pink hedgehog looked up. "Amy."

"Are you strong?"

Amy remembered the hammer that she used on Claw. It seemed pretty heavy, though she couldn't tell very well. "I guess so."

"And do you have a job?"

"No."

Lila's smile returned. "Alrighty then. Tell you what: you join me as an apprentice and I'll teach you the ropes of being a bounty hunter. In return, we both look for Cocoa here's missing momma. They pays not so bad, each time you put away a criminal you get all the reward money as well. So is it a deal?" Lila put her hand out.

Amy considered it. Being a bounty hunter was a job, she'd get paid and be able to take care of Cocoa. And who knows, she might just get the chance to squeeze more information out of another member of the Creepers. She didn't hesitate to decide. "It's a deal." She reasched out her hand as well, and furry paw shook furry paw.

And that's how Amy Rose bacame a bounty hunter.

* * *

**I purposely made Claw seem a little mentally unstable. He's not really that inportant. Lila is though. She's by far my favourite OC, and I only made her up a few minutes ago!**

**You may notice that Amy is going through a lot of mood swings. Well, give her a break, she's got amnesia!**


	6. Chapter VI: Amy gets an AWESOME costume

**Now, unless you guys live on the other side of the world or whatever, you should know that tomorrow is THE WEEKEND!**

**So there won't be any update for the next two days. **

**"Chapter VI: Amy gets an AWESOME costume. Oh, and makes a vow to annihilate the Creepers"**

* * *

Before Amy's training could begin, however, they had to give Cocoa's cut some medical attention. Lila led them to the infirmary, where a doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound. However as she suffered blood loss, trauma, and exhaustion, Cocoa would need to stay overnight, possibly for a few days.

"I visit you every day, as soon as I can." Amy promised. She yawned. It had been a long day, and stars were starting to twinkle in the quickly darkening sky.

Lila put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "You best be gettin' it on to home." She told her. "Cocoa'll be fine here. You, on the other hand, have a big day tomorrow. Training starts!"

"Okay then." Reluctantly, Amy left Cocoa's bedside and slowly trudged back home.

* * *

Amy was still awake. She was in bed, but with so many thoughts and questions swirling around in her head, keeping her eyes wide open.

_The Creepers... what did they want with Cherry and Cocoa? Was it because they're Fallen ones? "Three of them"... including me? It makes sense. They took Cherry... If I hadn't come in time, would they have taken Cocoa too?_

_If I came sooner would I have been able to stop her from getting hurt?_

It would be many hours until Amy would be able to fall into a restless sleep.

* * *

The morning after, Amy was again given a rude awakening.

"WAKE UP!"

With a "Holycrapi'mup!" Amy fell out of bed once more, this time to the face of a lilac cat grinning happily like she had played a grand joke (which, if you thought about it, she did.) "How did you get in here?"

Lila grin grew wider. "The door."

"But it was locked!"

"I'm the chief an' bounty hunter, remember? I know howta' get through _all_ the doors. Get dressed, we're going shopping!"

* * *

Amy was spending a _lot_of her time running up and down that dirt pathway. This time she wasn't dragged by a happy-go-lucky rabbit, but instead by a happy-go-lucky cat. Babbling non-stop about various punches and kicks, Lila pulled her from one place in the market to another. "First off, your outfit! You can't fight in a dress; not enough running space. Ohh, look, there's a kimono, try that on." She pointed at a changing booth to their right.

Minutes later, Amy was dressed in a red kimono outfit (which Lila insisted on paying for.) The kimono was... modified by Lila and was now sleeveless. Amy wore leather wristguards instead, and armbands farther up her arm. It was much more tight fitting, but two slits were cut up the sides of the skirt, so Amy could still run. The sash proved excellent at hiding weapons, doubling as a belt. Very, _very_ sharp chopsticks were put above her right ear in her hair. She too had most of it caught up in a ponytail, to mimic Lila.

Lila stepped back to admire her work. "There! Now you look like a proper bounty hunter!"

"Is this really necessary?" Amy couldn't help but feel a little foolish.

Lila smirked, though not in an unfriendly way. "Of course it is! Now let's get some weapons!"

They were now at a weapons stall, staring at an assortment of shiny blades and blunt hitting things, Amy wasn't sure what they were. "Yup is where I first ol' Nail Biter." Lila pointed to a particularly large blade on one of her belts. "Haven't parted with it since."

By the time they were done, Amy had two twin daggers, one for each hand, several throwing stars, and, of course, her trademark hammer. Amy and Lila were just about to leave when another sword caught the hedgehog's eye. It was simple, just a straight blade, but was engraved with characters with a weird language. She picked it up, and nearly gasped as fragments of broken memories shot through her mind.

A dark entrance...

A stone wall...

A poem written in the same language as that on the sword...

The words turning to english to read-

"So, you found your favourite, huh?"Lila shocked Amy out of her stupor, and the few shards of her memories that she had slipped out of her grasp. "Yeah, I had that look on my face when I first met Nail Biter. We'll take it!" Once again, Lila insisted on paying.

As they left the stall, Lila babbled on. "Kay, now that you look the part, we gotta get on with the actual training. First, we'll see how well ya' can fight hand-to hand. You ready?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

Suddenly Lila lunged at Amy, swinging a punch, that, in Amy's opinion, was rather slow. She dodged it quick, but knew she wasn't getting off that easy. She steadily increased her speed, and Amy found herself punching, kicking, and blocking at the same rate as the lilac cat in front of her. Amy stopped suddenly, dropping her hands. "Whoa, wait. Can I ask you a question, Lila?"

Lila stopped too. "Sure."

"Why are you doing this for me?" Amy asked. She was curious; why would Lila suddenly decide to teach her how to be a bounty hunter? And, at no little cost to herself, insist on buying everything for her?

For the first time since she met her, Lila's face turned from her usual grin to one of sadness, and sober remorse. "I knew you were going to ask that eventually. You see, you're not the only one to have someone taken from you by the Creepers. Two years ago... I just nabbed one o' the higher-ups in the Creepers' organization. They warned me not to turn him in, bu' I didnt' listen an' did it anyways. The very next day... they stole my baby sister..."

Amy was almost lost for words. "I'm so sorry."

"Well, ya see, when I agreed I'd help you, I agreed to help myself, too. Chances are if Missi is still alive, chances are she'll be with your mother."

_My mom? Ah, she must mean Cherry!_

"Oh no, Cherry isn't my mom." Amy flustered, waving her hands in front of her chest in denial. "She and Cocoa found me after I Fell. They took me in. And now that she's been kidnapped, I've got to get Cocoa's mother back. I owe them at least that."

"So we understand each other. Ya know, this could be the beginning of a beeeeauutiful friendship." Lila's smile came back. Now lets get back to training shall we?

Amy returned her grin, and they continued sparring.

After a long day of training with hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting, and for some reason, physiology, Lila fell back, saying 'Phew, that's enough training for today. How 'bout we go visit that Cocoa of yours? I bet she should be able to leave the infirmary by now."

"Hopefully."

* * *

Amy almost didn't make it. Before she even caught sight of Cocoa, a wall of nurses barred her way.

"Sorry, missus, but you can't see the patient right now. She's in a weakened state and is resting." A wolf told her, the same doctor that had first bandaged Cocoa cut.

"What are you talking about? She only had a cut..."

"That got infected and weakened her immune system severely." The wolf replied curtly.

A voice, straining to be heard, reached Amy's ears. "Amy?"

Amy pushed past the nurses, ignoring them. "Cocoa! How are you doing?"

"It hurts..." The rabbit whimpered. She was about to say something else, but her eyes started to cloud over, and she stopped moving.

"Cocoa? Cocoa!" Amy was scared now, shaking the rabbit, trying to wake her up.

The doctor came over now, resting his finger on Cocoa's wrist. "She isn't dead, she's fainted. However, if the infection doesn't improve soon, she may as well be."

"Why can't you do anything to save her? No antibiotics, or anything?"

The wolf turned to Amy. "Do you realise why Aljandria has no electricity? No technology? Why we're reduced to just bandaging wounds and hoping for the best? The Creepers have worked hard to keep us in the dark ages. They've kept all progress the people of Aljandria to an all-time low. If anyone tries to move forward, they kill everyone involved, and take the technology for themselves. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

_So, the Creepers might have medicine, huh? Well, I swear Cocoa, I'm going to find your mother, and I'm going to save your life. For all you two have done for me._

_For Aljandria._

* * *

**For you're sakes, I didn't leave you with a cliffhanger.**

**And I'll continue writing chapter over the weekend. Till' next time, Ciao!**

**R&R!**


	7. Chapter VII: Did you forget about Sonic?

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I'm back! I think I'll be able to keep this up a little longer. Updating every weekday in the summer isn't so bad. Don't expect too much when the school year hits, though. I'm going into 8th grade soon... And I am freaking SCARED out of my , not really, I just haven't been given the chance to use capitals lately.

**BTW: THIS IS IMPORTANT! **

**If you usually ignore the bold author's note at the bottom and the top of the chapters, at least read this.**

**In this chapter, Sonic and Shadow are going to make a comeback. You are going to know what they're thinking, but to avoid confusion about who thinks what, I've devised a system!**

_If a sentence is in italics like this, then those are Amy's thoughts. However, whole sections in italics are flashbacks, messages, you get the idea._

**If a sentence is in bold print like this, those are Shadow's thoughts.**

If a sentence is underlined like this, then those are Sonic's thoughts.

**If a sentence is BOTH bold and italicized of some other combination like _this, _****then those two people are thinking simultaneously. That won't happen often.**

**Now we have all that technical mumbo-jumbo out of the way, let's on with the story.**

**"Chapter VII: Did you forget Sonic? To tell you the truth, I did."**

**

* * *

**

"Amy? Aaaaamy? Where are you?"

Wandering around hopelessly, shouting a person's name until it started to sound funny (like the word 'purple') was not Sonic favourite way of spending his Saturday. However, it was nesessary. Amy had gone missing the day before her birthday, and no one had seen her since. It was like she just disapeared in a puff of smoke. Poof! 3 weeks, and Amy's 15th birthday, had come and gone, but no traces of her surfaced. Everyone, Tails, Cream, even Shadow, were worried about her to some extent. Everyone but maybe Sonic.

She's probably just hiding out in her house. Hey, why haven't I thought of that! If I can get into her house...

However, Sonic never got inside, because it was locked.

"Aw man! Huh, maybe Amy hid a key under a rug or something... except the door doesn't have a rug." Sonic knelt down, looking for the non-existent key Amy may have hidden.

"She's not in there."

"Oi!" Sonic jumped onto his feet and turned to see a familiar blacked hedgehog laced with red leaning against a tree. "And how do you know, Shadow?"

Shadow took out a key ring (house key attached) and swirled it around his finger casually. "I just got to the key before you did. You took three weeks to think of trying to find it, surprise suprise. She's not in there." He repeated. "Go in and see for yourself." Shadow tossed the key to the blue hedgehog, who caught it with ease. Turning the key in the lock, he went inside.

Amy's house was small, but cozy, big enough for one person to live comfortably. It had one of everything; one story, one bedroom, and one bathroom. The walls were covered in pink, blue, and black wallpaper in a plaid pattern. Sonic went through each of the rooms, searching for Amy.

"Amy?" He checked the living room. No one here.

"Amy?" He checked the kitchen. No one here.

"Amy?" He checked the bathroom. No one here.

"Amy?" He checked the bedroom. No one here. What _was_there, however, was a crisp white envelope underneath a small velvet box, the kind one would use to hold an engagement ring. At this thought, Sonic's curiosity got the best of him, and the blue hedgehog picked up the envelope. Opening it up (it hadn't been sealed anyway) he read:

_Dear Sonic,_

_I know usually it's the birthday girl/boy, who receives the presents, but just this once, I'm breaking tradition. I hope you come to the party so I can give this to you, because it's real important. __Exactly what is so important I had to give it to you in a letter to read for later, you may ask? So important I'd be to embarrassed to tell it to your face? _

_It's this. I want you to know, Sonic, you don't have to run away anymore. There, I said it. Or, wrote it... whatever. __I realise after three years of you running away, you're afraid of me. Okay, not me, exactly, but the prospect of me always chasing after you, which is why you run. But I promise, starting today, you don't have to be afraid. I won't chase you, so you don't have to run anymore. You don't have to avoid me every hour of the day anymore, I promise._

_Don't get me wrong, I still have feelings for you. They haven't changed, but I have. I'm just going to stop hugging you, yelling "Sonikuu!", and trying to get you to date, like, or marry me. __If you want to still stay away from me... that's okay, I won't go after you. (bringing my hammer with me, hah hah.) If you want to be "just friends", that's okay, too. I just don't want a relationship consisting of me going "Hey Sonic!" and you immediately speeding off._

_I hope you like the ring I bought you. It's purple to symbolize independence, which you have plenty of. And know that I still love and care for you. I just want what make you happy._

_Love,_

_Amy._

Sonic opened the box. Inside was a ring with a purple gemstone, just like Amy wrote. Cut and polished, it shone like a star was trapped inside.

... Thank you Amy.

He slipped it on, and, with the letter in hand, Sonic left the desolate house. He didn't need to search the rest of it to know Amy wasn't hiding anywhere.

* * *

"Shadow, check this out! It's some castle or something!" Sonic turned around and yelled in a loud voice, only to see that Shadow was right beside him. He had just yelled in his ear. "Oops. Hehe, sorry Shads." Shadow rubbed his ears and growled a little. The two had decided to search the forest in hopes that they could find Amy, maybe having gotten lost out walking. Shadow wasn't too sure how Sonic had convinced him to come along.

Nether the less, he looked up and down the castle anyways. A building made of stones, and wood, and nothing else. It was devoid of any traces that any living thing had ever set foot in it. However, there was still a chance that Amy was in there.

Shadow looked up at the towering, foreboding door that barred their way. Locked. He concentrated, and 7 seconds and about 70 hits later, the door was reduced to a sad little pile of wood.

Sonic smirked. "Ladies first." He gestured towards the now cleared entrance.

Inside was a sight both amazing and intimidating. The interior of the castle featured a long hallway, lit with flickering lanterns. On both sides were suits of armour standing sentry, placed on low stone platforms. On the right, the fake knights held swords, pointing towards the sky. Of the left, they held sturdy shields, blacked marked with a red cross. The light from the lanturns made light and shadow alike splay across the shiny surfaces of the knights. This hall went only endlessly it seemed, as no matter how far the black and blue heroes walked down the eerie stone corridor, there was always one more shield to look at, one more shiny blade to stare at.

Whoa! It's not everyday that you see something like THIS in the forest! 

**An untouched castle found in the middle of the forest, how unusual. It's obviously enchanted somehow...**

"This place isn't natural." Shadow told Sonic. "We shouldn't touch anything, or-"

"Yo, Shadow, have you seen anything like this before?" Sonic was already leaning against one of the knight's shoulder, reaching to poke the sword it was holding. As he did so, however, the knight leaned as well, into the wall, farther and farther until it was completely horizontal, blackness showing underneath. Surprise took Sonic, and this time he was too slow. With a "Whoa!" he was sent falling into the gaping hole.

"You idiot! I said not to touch anything!" Shadow moved to follow him, but was stopped. The knight Sonic had fallen over was moving upright again, and stepping off the pedestal. The ultamate life form glanced around, and his worst fears were confirmed; the other knights were following the first one's lead. The first knight brandished its sword, and attacked.

Shadow reacted on instinct, rolling out of the way. With so many after him in such an enclosed space, he wouldn't be able to defend himself well. Suddenly it struck him: the shields! Grabbing one, he blocked the attacks. The knights, however, weren't going to go down easily. They pressed on, and Shadow found himself stepping backwards towards the same knight he had taken the shield from. Unlike their sword-wielding counterparts, those who beared shield remained motionless.

**Damn!**

Before he could use chaos control, before he could even think of anything else, it was too late. He was pushed into the revolving section of wall, and he too fell into the blackness.

* * *

"Get back here, you bastard!" Amy was chasing down her prey, a petty thief that had robbed one of the homes in Slate's End and burned it all down just to hide the evidence. Currently, the sniveling rat, whose name is not important, was scrambling through the busy market, Amy hot on his heels. She had been chasing the perp from very edge of town, jumping and leaping over stalls. Her trademark hammer was clenched in her fists.

_Where is Lila? Usually we'd be training, but she's nowhere to be seen._

After several minutes of chasing, swinging, and tripping, Amy caught the rat, pinning him under her body. Using rope that Lila advised she keep with her at all times, she tied his legs and arms together. She had just finished... when she heard clapping behind her.

Lila was applauding. "Your first solo kill! Good job!"

The fact that Lila was her mentor was the only thing between between her and Amy's hammer. "Lila! Where were you when I needed you? I had to chase this guy halfway across the whole of Slate's End before I was able to catch him."

"I was behind you. And you chased this guy 'halfway across the whole of Slate's End ' _solo_. So you're practically able ta go on by yer own! Congrats! Oh, and you can let poor ol' Jeremy up, too."

_Jeremy? So the perp was an actor?_

Amy got off Jeremy, who was now gasping for air. "Couldn't. Breathe."

"Oh, um, sorry. So I don't get paid this time?"

Lila laughed. How this girl went from "Get back here, you bastard!" to "I don't get paid?" was beyond her. It was like the pink lady had multiple personality order. "Well, you best be takin' the day off. Your reward for officially becoming a bounty hunter."

Amy nodded, now smiling. "Okay! Thanks Lila!"

_Oi. By far the weirdest day of training. Ever._

* * *

After getting the rest of the day off, Amy decided to take a walk in the woods. (There happened to be one placed directly behind the Longhairs' house.) What could she say, it made it so easy to think. There was just something so familiar about it, walking, thinking, looking at the scenery.

_It's been three months and I _still _can't figure out where any of the Creepers' forts are. So far the best I've found is that one of them is underground, and even if that one will have the medicine Cocoa needs... the chances aren't good. __Poor Cocoa. She's been in that coma so long, I'm afraid she might not be able to last long enough. The infection's so bad, I'm not even allowed in the imfirmary anymore. I know she's fighting as hard as she can. I have to focus! If the lackeys I catch won't give me the location I need, then I'll have to find-_

_..._

_I just heard something move... and it wasn't a tree._

Amy spun around quickly, using a throwing star in the direction of the rustling sound. A month ago Amy would have never have been able to hear that. Thank you, ninja training! And Lila. "Who goes there?" She barked, as a creaking sound echoed through the branches. Then a breaking sound. Then the sounds of a blue hedgehog falling headfirst into the ground right in front of her, the star still embedded in the branch he had landed on. She pulled out a dagger, ready to fight.

Sonic groaned, and heaved himself to his feet.

What just happened? One second I was looking at that knight, the next, I was falling into a tree. And out of it.

He looked up, and heard a soft popping sound as his jaw fell open. Is that...? Yes, it was. She had changed drastically.

Her hair had grown out, put in a messy ponytail.

She was dressed differently, in some red kimono with gold trim.

She was rougher looking, tough, almost fierce.

Even more alarming, she was holding a dagger and she looked like she knew how to use it.

But it was her.

He gasped, saying one more time, "Amy?"

* * *

**An extra long chappie to make up for the weekend, and a cliffhanger cuz I'm that evil! What's gonna happen? Remember, Amy still has amnesia so if things go the wrong way then she might just try to kill him...**

**I was wondering: should I change the rating for the swearing? Chances are the worst I'm going to use is "damn" but is that enough to get this rated M?**


	8. Chapter VIII: It's Sonic's turn

**200 views in one week! Yay! And so here I am with another chapter. I can't help but wonder that I'm neglecting my other stories as well. And to answer any questions you may have about the romance, yes, this will probably be Shadamy, just don't get your hopes up. **

**1) this will be a long story and the Shadamy won't come in for a long time if ever. **

**2) This is a mainly adventure story, so we'll see I can fit it in. The main jist of this story is defeating the Accursed, but that's a long way off, I assure you. Plus this awkwardness between Sonic and Amy has to be wrapped up.**

**3), I'm just not all that good at writing romance. I mean have you seen what I wrote in my other story, Let Go? The one kiss scene... ugh, I'm ashamed of it. I'm just not too comfortable writing too much of it. Probably because I'm so young, about 12/13 years old. Oh what, you thought I was older? Yup, when people like 17 years old are writing things like "i em hapy" on this site, I'm writing THIS. *goes off to mutter in a corner about kids these days***

**"Chapter VIII: It's Sonic's turn to get pwned"**

* * *

_This hedgehog knows my name? Who is he?_

When an unfamiliar blue hedgehog falls out of a tree in front of her and happens to know her name, Amy couldn't help but think he was a spy. "Who are you?" She voiced her earlier thoughts. "Are you one of the Creepers?"

"What? Creepers? No, it's me, Sonic!", He answered, momentarily confused. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me. What happened to you Amy? You're gone for three weeks, I don't find you until I fall through some freaky hole behind a suit of armour, and now you're saying you don't know me?"

_He says he fell through a hole... could he be?_

Amy lowered the dagger, but didn't put away. "Explain." She growled. "How did you get here?"

He did so. "Amy, you've been missing for three weeks now. Shadow and I-"

"Who's Shadow?"

"He's not important. Anyways we both went into the forest to try and find you, since your house was empty. Then out of nowhere this freaky castle popped up, and we went inside. There was a bunch of suits of armour there, and when I leaned on one of them, it falls back, and Bam! I fell out of a tree."

Amy still wasn't quite so convinced. Sonic could see that on her face, and tried to offer proof. "It's true! You know me- at least you used to. Look."

Sonic unfolded the crumpled sheet of paper, which somehow managed to stay clenched in his hand throughout all the drama. Amy took that, and the ring, examining them both. The ring bore an inscription on its side reading_ From Amy, to Sonic. _The letter was addressed likewise, explaining some heartfelt feelings that were now lost to Amy.

_So apparently I gave him the ring... and the letter is definitely in my handwriting. Curious, no matter how many hints I get from my past, my memories refuse to return. Ugh, I had feelings for this guy? What did I see in him? From the looks of this, I must have been a bit of a bimbo back in Mobius._

Amy handed the letter back to Sonic. "So you Fell, huh? Your story seems to fit... maybe you're not a spy for the Creepers."

"The Creepers? Who are those?"

"The Creepers are a powerful gang that terrorises most of Aljandria. That's where you are now. You've been chosen to help destroy a powerful beast of the underworld called the Acursed, which was sealed inside this wizard dude during an ancient war, and will be released upon his death. That's why a portal opened up and sent you here. You're either going to defend the people, fight the Accursed, or deal the last blow to it. Either that kills it, or Aljandria is doomed forever. The Creepers, from what we know about them, seem bent on preventing us from winning. Why they want to do so, I have no idea. They've already kidnapped a Fallen one, a rabbit named Cherry. Fallen ones are what we call those who were chosen, considering we all fell through the portal. I'm one of them, I have two friends who are too, and it seems you and this 'Shadow' are the last two."

Amy gave Sonic a while to digest what he had just heard.

"..."

"Again? No biggie." Sonic shrugged, answering in a surprisingly casual fashion. "I'm used to this kind of stuff."

_God. Seriously. What. Did. I see. In him._

"Well, I'm glad you've accepted this so easily. Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to my job." Amy turned to leave.

Sonic grabbed her arm to stop her. "Whoa, where are you going? Aren't you going to try at all to remember your old life? You don't wonder about who you used to be?"

She shook him off. "Listen kid, my memories aren't the most important things right now. What matters is-"

'Kid'? I'm older than her!

"My name's not 'kid', it's Sonic. Sonic the hedgehog!" Sonic jabbed his thumb into his chest for added effect. "Now, com'on. Your friends miss you, Amy. The least you could do is go back for a while to let them know they have nothing to worry about. Who knows, maybe we can help remember something."

_Sonic 'the hedgehog'. Real original. Fine, if he wants to play games, I'll just have to school him._

Amy turned her back to him. She smirked, closing her eyes. A plan was already forming in her mind.

_He seems like a cocky, arrogant type. Let's see what happens when brain defeats brawn._

"Fine then, we'll make a deal. I'm going to propose a challenge. If you win, I'll go back with you to Mobius, at least for a short while. If I win, however, you're going to help me try to find the Creepers base. Capiche?"

"Sounds good to me!" Something crossed Sonic's mind, however. "But only on one condition."

"What?"

Sonic grinned, sure that he would be victorious. "You can't whack me with that hammer of yours!"

_So he knows about my hammer, too? Hmm, guess he really did know me. Keyword being 'did'._

I'll be sure to win now! I just don't like getting hit with that thing.

"Alright, here's the deal. Catch." Something was thrown at Sonic, and he caught just before it could hit his face.

Whoa, she's gotten fast! Wait, is this one of Amy's bracelets?

It was. though Amy stopped wearing them when she first became a bounty hunter, she still kept them, in case they could still be used in situations like this.

"I have the other one here." Amy continued, holding the bracelet's partner in her right hand. The objective is get both bracelets by stealing the other one. First one to do so wins. If, by coincedence, we steal the other's at the same time, we'll just just have to try again, won't we?"

"It's a deal! Now let's see what you got, Amy." Sonic, in a bid to confuse her, ran through the trees, weaving this way and that. The wind started to pick up, and all Amy could now see of the blue blur was, well, a blur. Amy didn't move, instead watching as Sonic sped in and out of sight.

_So that's his strength. Speed. But the faster one goes, the harder it is to stop._

"What are you waiting for?" Sonic yelled over the howling wind.

_For you to mess up._

Alright then, if you won't move, here I come!

Sonic changed course, now running straight at Amy. His plan was simple: run towards her, grab the bracelet. Her plan was also simple: Wait for the right moment, and jump.

_And... NOW!_

At the very moment Sonic got close enough to touch her, Amy jumped, now high above the blue hedgehog's head. As Sonic sped through the place where she once stood, Amy was now sailing over him. Sonic saw it happen. He even tried to stop, skidding his shoes across the forest floor. However, he failed, and as Amy happened to be standing right in front of a tree, and he smacked headfirst into the bark.

Sonic jumped back, hands coving his nose. "Ow!"

Amy was now smiling. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."

"It's not over yet!" Once again, Sonic ran towards Amy, and once again, she dodged in response, this time veering to the right. This repeated several times, and even when Sonic would try to anticipate her move, sometimes curving left or right as well, it was no use. Amy could read Sonic like an open book. A book that had a habit of crashing into trees.

_Yup. I'm REALLY going to enjoy this!_

"Not... done... yet." Sonic was panting now. He looked down at the gold circlet in his hand, only to see it wasn't there anymore.

Gone? But where...?

"Actually, you are done." Amy took out her bracelet, then Sonic's spinning them like duel pistols. She had taken them from Sonic the very first time he crashed into the tree, and she had jumped to dodge him. "I can't believe you took so long to notice."

"Whaaat? Then way didn't you tell me sooner?" Sonic couldn't help but get miffed. It was amazing how many different ways Amy could annoy him.

Amy grinned. She was picking up a lot of traits from her mentor. "I wanted to screw with you. Besides, even if you did win, how would you have gotten us back to Mobius? There's no signs pointing the way back. You're stuck here until the Fallen ones fufill their destiny, maybe even after that."

Sonic sweatdropped. "Oh. Yeah. Hadn't thought of that..."

Amy turned and started walking. "Well, if you're going to help me find one of the Creepers' bases, we may as well get started."

Sonic scramble to follow her out of the forest. "Wait so that's it? You don't wonder at all about who Amy Rose used to be? Who you used to be?" He looked into her eyes, cupping her face in his hands. Amy could see genuine concern in his eyes.

Nether the less, she turned away, use her hands to karate-chop his out of the way. (Ow.) "That's not important right now. What is is finding the Creepers."

This girl changes moods faster than Rouge changes outfits. Maybe I can restore her memory... it'll be a long shot. 

"Amy." Sonic grabbed her arm, once again turning her to face him, cool green eyes meeting Amy's blazing emerald.

Here goes.

In a last-ditch attempt to make Amy Rose recall who she was, Sonic took a deep breath, leaned forward, and kissed her.

* * *

**O.o What have I done?**

**Okay, okay, calm down. Remember what I said at the top of the chapter. If there is any romance, it will be ShadAmy. Here, Sonic was just trying to get rid of Amy's amnesia, he's not expressing any heartfelt feelings, or whatever. Amy's dream (At least before she Fell) was to be with Sonic, right? Sonic thought that by kissing her, it might make something in her brain wake up. What you _should_ be wondering is how Amy will react.**

**Bleh, the two are sooo OOC right now. For Amy, I've been doing the mood swing thing on purpose and it's fine since she has amnesia, but Sonic... just BLEH. The ending was a little too much, ne?**

**Please R&R. I love to see what you think of my writing. There's TWO HUNDRED people reading and I've got 13 reviews. A little out of balence there. (Boo hoo, I'm so sad.)**

**Anyways there's the usual tell me what you think, blah blah blah, oneshot requests open, annnnd, done.**

**P.S. Except for this. I'm planning for Sonic and Amy to make up in a future chapter. Sort of a 'let's stay friends' thing. Would you guys be okay with a songfic sorta thing in there? I found one that fits really well, in a "so good it's creepy" kind of way. It'll only be for that chapter. What do you think? Yes? No? Don't care?**

**Kay, NOW I'm done.**


	9. Chapter IX: Let's see how Shadow's doing

**No, you're no going to see what happens next until tomorrow, because we're going to see how Shadow's doing! **

**Why am I torturing you like this, you ask?**

**Just like Amy said last chapter, I like to screw with minds. XD**

**"Chapter IX: Let's see how Shadow's doing, shall we?"**

* * *

Shadow was falling. He could see it. When he was first pushed through the hole behind the shield less knight, he could only see blackness as he felt himself drop through the air, seeing nothing and feeling nothing.

Then he saw twinkles. Stars that glimmered with more vigor than he had seen on Mobius. He knew what was coming. Eventually he would see the lovely shades of a sunset: red, orange, yellow. They would shade into a deep blue... as he shot through the atmosphere, the friction rubbing him into near oblivion. He could have that happen, could he?

"Chaos... CONTROL!" The crimson laced hedgehog yelled, to no one in particular. He didn't know exactly how far he was above the surface of wherever this place was, but he had a good idea. Landing a few meters above the ground, his lightning-quick reflexes allowed him to land safely on a... _tent?_

He wasn't mistaken. Shadow had landed on top of a high peak frame tent, striped with blue and green. He had managed to land himself near the top, holding on to the spike on the roof. Below him were animals and humans of all kind bustling about. They were traveling from tent to tent like bees, checking the wares they had for sale. The one Shadow had landed on was only one of hundreds, lined up and down a worn dirt road.

**First walking suits of armour, and now this. Maybe I truly am going insane.**

It was a market. Shadow had landed in a market, not unlike you would imagine in olden Saudi Arabia. Stalls and tents. Various thing for sale. People were shouting, shouting about what they had for sale, and shouting above the din of everyone else.

"Cloaks! The very best ones you'll find in Slate's end. Leather, frills, and more!"

**Slate's End. So this place has a name.**

Surprisingly, most people didn't notice a black hedgehog appear in a burst of green light, and land on a marquee. They didn't see him do a back flip off the edge of the tent onto the ground, either. Almost everyone didn't, in fact, save for a black hawk with a nasty scar. He had been standing underneath the tent, along with several other shifty-looking characters. Upon seeing Shadow land in front of him, he and the others (A snake in a bad pirate costume and a bobcat in some vest) huddled together. Shadow could hear what they were saying.

"Is he one of them? I haven't seen him before."

"Lot's of travelers come through here."

"He landed on the tent _out of nowhere._"

"The boss said we had to bring _all _suspicious character to 'im. If he finds out you lost 'im, he'll 'ave our heads.

"Scarface, shut up. You're not running this joint anymore. Now go get that hedgehog!"

It'd be a fair guess to say Shadow was confused. Especially when the hawk approached him warily, then grabbed him, and shoved him into the tent. The two others grasped his arms and pushed him down a trapdoor. He landed with a thud.

Shadow was not amused. He, the Ultimate Life form, had been shoved down a hole. Twice. Before he could do anything about it, two guards (at least they looked like guards) came up to him. One of them spoke gruffly , 'The boos wants to see you. If you value your life, come with us. Shadow examined his surroundings.

**There's a dead end behind me. These was seem to be made of stone. I could burrow through them if these guards weren't here. The trapdoor is closed, it's too dark to see where it is. Then the only way out is to follow the guards and escape later. Perhaps then I can find someone willing to tell me what's going on.**

So be it. And he followed the guards down the corridor. It was rather similar to the castle he had seen previously, minus the walking suits of armour. There were the same stone walls and the same flickering lanterns fixed on the wall. Instead of a red carpet on a stone floor, the ground Shadow was currently standing on was dirt. As the two strangers led him, he realised that here, it was a labyrinth of lefts and rights, unlike before. Shadow made sure to memorize every twist and turn.

Not a long while later. The guards stopped. Facing them was a sturdy wooden door, complete with metal hinges. One of the guards, he didn't care to know which, knocked on the door. "We have him!" He shouted, probably to penetrate the thick slab of wood in front of them.

"Then come in!" A purple cat answered the door. "Ah, there you are." The cat greeted in a strangely warm fashion. "I must apologize for all the rough treatment, but you can never be too suspicious." He urged Shadow to come in, shooed away the guards, and shut the door.

Shadow looked around. He had just come into what looked a cozy study belonging to a collage professor. On one side of the room stood a series of bookshelves filled to the brim with books, all thick texts and manuals. The walls still had lanterns fixed to them, but they were bigger here, casting a wider spectrum of light. On the floor were well-woven rugs with intricate patterns and pictures. A beautifully polished chestnut desk sat on the other side of the room, along with a comfy chair with a cushion. Though there was nothing on the desk but lit candles, on its other side sat another chair, as if two people were meant to face each other, one the professor, and other the student.

The occupant of the study was not a professor, however, but instead a dark purple cat with piercing blue eyes. His outfit echoed that of a general in an army. He had on a long, olive green coat that went almost to his knees, with gold embroidery and brass buttons that were left undone. Inside the coat you could see a fancy white dress shirt (complete with frilly chest), and a wide black belt. The belt was holding a pair of baggy brown pants, ending in black boots. For some reason, he also wore a black hat, which sported a long feather. It was quite new.

The cat smiled, and said "Allow me to introduce myself." Taking his and putting it to his chest, he bowed. "My name is Flame. And you, my friend," He raised his head to look at Shadow. "Are in a land named Aljandria. I take it you fell through a hole?"

Shadow nodded slowly.

**Obviously he knows I'm not from here. However, what's worrying me is that he seems to want something from me Considering I was pushed down a trapdoor into an underground hideout to see him, it's a safe bet that he is not to be trusted.**

"But, of course, where are my manners? Sit down, sit down, I'll explain to you everything." Flame gestured to the chairs in front of and behind the desk. They both took seats. "But first, may you explain to me how you came here?"

For the first time since being shoved down the first hole, Shadow spoke. "A friend of mine went missing and while looking to find her, I fell through a hole." He purposely left out several details, in case Flame was not to be trusted.

Ah. So you did Fall. Flame started to explain. This is the land of Aljandria. Many years ago, a war was waged against two sides of Aljandria, led by Valtrix the Vile and Jacob the Just. The two were users of black and white magic respectively, something that has almost died out today.

Valtrix wished to rule Aljandria, to mold it into his image. He summoned an army from the depths of Hell to do his bidding, and started to lay waste to those cities that would not join him. He would have succeeded in taking over Aljandria if Jacob had not risen against him, collecting the fair people themselves to become his soldiers. It was good against evil, suppression against freedom.

In the final battle, the two mages were pitted against each other. Jacob managed to deal a death blow to Valtrix, but Valtrix, with his last breath, lay a curse on Jacob. The most terrible creature of the underworld, known only as the Accursed, was bound to Jacob's soul. His heartbeat was enough to keep the creature at bay, but the moment Jacob would cease to exist, so would the ties that bound the Accursed.

Jacob's magic could prolong his life, but not for forever. So he chose five portals to bring five beings from another world. They are called the Fallen ones, and they are destined to do battle against the Accursed. This is where you come in."

"Me?" Shadow wondered aloud.

"Of course. You fell through one of the portals, did you not? You are one of the Chosen ones, one of those destined to bring an end to the Accursed, or to die trying."

"Then what do you want with me?"

"You see," Flame was leaning toward Shadow now, and yellow eyes were boring into red, "The fact that five beings no matter how powerful, could defeat the most powerful beast of the underworld is absurd. Rumour has it that it is not just the Accused that Valtrix tied to Jacob's soul, but also his own essense. The Accursed would be made with Valtrix's conscience. He would be back to conquer Aljandria yet again, this time with no Jacob to stop him. I don't know about you, but I would rather be on the winning side."

**So he wants to stop the Fallen ones from defeating the Accursed.**

Flame's tone of voice was still pleasant, but was now also had a hint of maliciousness. "I've already had to kidnap one Fallen one and put her under lock and key because she wouldn't cooperate. I would be a shame to do the same to you as well. So I'm offering you the opportunity to join join the Creepers willingly."

**'Creepers?' Is he the leader of a gang?**

"So, what will it be?" Flame eyes were now glinting evilly,as if daring him to refuse the offer. "I'm sure we can put you to other uses. Are you one to enjoy assassination?"

Flame had said the wrong thing. Shadow suddent lept out of his chair, pinning Flame to the floor. "I will say this once, and once only. I am not interested in joining a _gang_." Shadow spat. "I'm not interested in hurting innocents. Most of all, I'm not interested in anything you are offering me. If you send anyone to convince me otherwise, they _will_ get hurt, and so will you." The hedgehog stood up, and turned to leave the room.

**I will not be used to kill innocents.**

"I'm sorry it had to come to this." Flame's whispered words reached his ears. Shadow felt the wind of the bullet before he dodged, and saw it zing by his head. Flame was holding a gun, probably taken out of a desk drawer. "That was a warning. No one refuses an invite into the Creepers and lives."

Suddenly Shadow was shouting "Chaos control!" And he was outside the door. He hadn't taken five steps when he heard the same door he had exited open behind him. With an "After him!" From Flame, the corridors were filled with guards, all brandishing guns. Shadow retraced the path he had been led down earlier, avoiding all the bullets so far. Just when he had reached the trapdoor, a sharp pang burst at the base at his neck. He ignored it, jump through the trapdoor.

When he had managed to pull himself through, he ran, into the crowd and towards freedom.

* * *

Flame refrained from cursing at the Fallen one's escape, instead returning to his study to think. He had wrongly assumed from the hedgehog's appearance that he would be in some way sadistic. That mistake just cost him the Fallen one's alligence, and Flame hadn't even found out his name. But, that wouldn't matter too much, since Flame had managed to hit the stranger with a tracking dart. The hedgehog would be bound to see Flame again, and time he wasn't going to make the mistake of greeting him warmly.

* * *

It wasn't until he had managed to lose all the Creepers in the crowd of the market that Shadow stopped. He reached around his neck and pulled out what caused the sharp pain in his neck from earlier. It was a tranquilizer dart of some sorts, already empty of fluid.

**Huh. The rest of Slate's End has no traces of this kind of technology. What else are the Creepers hiding?**

He asked a vendor directions to the nearest inn. The vendor, a young fox, pointed in the direction of the road. "Keep going until you see signs saying 'Town Square'. They'll be an inn to your left."

Shadow thanked the fox and set off in the direction he had pointed. The first thing he was going to do was look for the faker.

* * *

**The people of Aljandria are perfectly aware of the existance of electricity modern medicine and such, but are too afraid to use them. Though right now You've only seen Slate's End, there are other towns and such. The Creepers actually terrorise all of Aljandria, and stop them from progressing by killing anyone who dares invent anything too useful. (The best they can use for medicine is herbs!) If Aljandria is kept in the Dark ages, they have a better chance of losing to the Accursed. I mean, what would you rather go against? Crossbows or semi-automatic machine guns that spray bullets like rain?**

**I thought so.**

**Don't worry, we'll get back to Sonic and Amy tomorrow.**

**Another Question: Would you mind the occasional breaking of the forth wall in this fanfic? Yes, there will probably be romance, but when I first created this fic, I meant for it to be a humorous adventure. Not cheap laughs every chapters, but like clever jokes and the occasional Amy going hammer crazy. But the fic has gotten so serious! I'm afraid if I do include humour, it just wouldn't fit.**

**Please R&R. I'm so sad and lonely without new reviews to read. Now that I think about it, hasn't that line been overused a bit. Whatever, it's my fanfic, dammit!**

**Also, if you have any questions about this fic, tell me in a review and I'll answer your questions next chapter.**

**Ciao!**


	10. Chapter X: Enter the hammer

**Aaand Back to the two hedgehogs! Yay, the 10th chapter at last!**

**I swear, this is going to be ShadAmy if there is any romance. You'll realise this once you finish reading the chapter...**

**"Chapter X: Enter the hammer. Oh, and a crazy Amy"**

* * *

The two were standing like that for a long time. Sonic was waiting for Amy to respond. Amy was waiting for Sonic to stop...

_And... __Now!_

So she could blow his brains out.

"What! The! Hell! Was! That! FOR?" She was screaming bloody murder, each word punctuated with a blow from her hammer. "What the hell makes you think you can start messing around like that?" She was now chasing Sonic with her hammer, still yelling indignantly.

"For god's sakes, there is a WAR going on! The most dangerous creature of the underworld is in Aljandria, and can be released any second! There are exactly five people that have a chance against it, and one of them has been kidnapped by the most viscous gang in Aljandria! The other is in a freakin' COMA! All of our lives are hanging by a thread and any one of us can be killed at any moment! There are innocent lives at stake, but _no_, instead of helping me do something about it, you're going around kissing me! I have personal space, you know! It doesn't matter if I used to know you, 'cuz I don't now! What in bloody hell do you think gives you the right to do that?"

And so on. Sonic was, to say the least, completely confused.

Why didn't it work? Wasn't getting kissed by me one of her lifelong dreams or something? Something like that should have snapped her back to her old self. Ow!

"Argh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Sonic yelped, now running from Amy as fast as he could. Amy had increased in speed during her disappearance, and she managed to get a few more whacks in before Sonic lost her. That didn't stop her from still chasing the blue hedgehog. It felt like hours later when Amy finally slowed down, panting slightly.

Sonic saw this and skidded to a stop, turning to face Amy. "Look, I wasn't messing around, or anything. I thought if I did that, your memories would come back." He was talking rapidly, in case Amy decided to stop listening at start chasing him again. "Guess it didn't work. I'm really sorry, Amy."

"...that seems believable."

_If this Sonic really did know me back on Mobius, maybe he was trying to revive my memories. Perhaps he really does care; his heart is definitely in the right place. Maybe it wasn't his fault._

_Still, that doesn't give him the excuse to suddenly kiss me._

"Well then... I appreciate the effort." Amy smiled walked towards him, and at first Sonic thought that it was for her to hug her. Seconds later, he realised it was to punch him in the gut. "But don't you EVER try that again, got it? I'm not the one to be worrying about right now. Now come on! We're going to go catch gang members." And so she dragged him off to town square.

Wait, what?

* * *

"What are we doing here? Look like a sheriff's office." Sonic was looking left and right around the jail. The lady with the nail file was sitting at the desk, trying to ignore the two. She was still miffed about how Amy had scared her out of her wits with the knocked-out body of a criminal.

Amy pointed to the yellowing pages tacked onto the wall on his right. "On this walls are wanted posters of all known members of the Creepers, among other criminals. Since you lost our little bet, you're going to help me catch them."

"Why? I mean, they're just a gang, they can't be that bad."

Amy's fists started to clench. "They're not _just_ a gang. When I first Fell, I was taken in by a rabbit named Cocoa and her mother Cherry. They took me under their wings, took care of me. But somehow, the Creepers found out about them. They kidnapped Cherry, and Cocoa was badly scratched. It got infected, and sent her into a coma. Their base is the only way of saving their lives, like they saved mine. Don't you realise that no one here uses technology in these parts?"

"Now that I think about it, the people here are pretty old fashioned."

"They're not old-fashioned. Aljandria is kept in the dark ages by the Creepers. If anyone dares to create medicine, or make a machine, they are killed, and the Creepers take their discoveries for themselves. I need to find where they're hiding, and get back Cherry _and_ the medicine need to save Cocoa's life."

Sonic looked back at the faded pictures. "So eventually one of these guys will tell you where the base is?"

Amy nodded in return. "All the ones I've caught so far don't even know if it exists for sure. If we manage to catch one of the higher-ups, I'm sure I can persuade one of them into telling me where it is. Take a good look at these things, because once we go hunting, you'll need to be able to recognize any of these mongrels on sight."

A voice came from behind them. "Well, you sure progress fast, Amy. Three months to become a bounty hunter, an' right on the same day you've already gone an' picked up an apprentice. So who's this young'un?" Lila had entered.

"He lost a bet with me, he's not my apprentice or anything!" Amy blustered.

"Sure, he ain't. Now why don't you introduce me to him?"

Amy complied. "Sonic this if my former mentor, Lila. Lila, this is Sonic. He Fell earlier today."

"That's four already, ain't it. Looks like the war is gonna rear up real soon. Remember, when we find that base of them Creepers, I'm coming with you."

Amy agreed. "Of course. You still have to find your sister, Missi." She turned to Sonic. "Let's get going."

Sonic had his hands clasped behind his head, and he yawned. "Sounds good to me. So where do you usually find these jokers?"

Amy turned her head to gaze out the open door. "The market. With so many people crowded around, it's the perfect spot for a criminal to hide, so that's where we're going."

* * *

"Try not to get lost." Amy murmured to Sonic. "The reason so many wanted people hide out here is because it's so easy to lose someone in all the people wandering around. She jabbed a finger into Sonic's chest. "And that means you can get lost too. I don't you getting yourself killed, or something equally stupid. Now, how fast are you?"

"The fastest." Sonic grinned. "Hey, isn't that hawk over there from the wanted posters?" He turned a finger towards a black hawk, walking slowly by the various stalls. Every so often he switched direction, prowling this way, then that.

Amy looked in the direction Sonic was pointing. "Yes. He's the leader of the Vultures. Since he was the leader before his gang merged with the Creepers, he might have some information we could use. His name is Duke, but he goes by the name Scarseye."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get him." Despite Amy's protests of "No! Wait!" Sonic sped off towards the former gang leader. "Hey, Scarseye!" The hawk turned to look at Sonic as he continued running, preparing to ram him head on.

_The idiot! Does he realise Scarseyes strength?_

No, he did not, and the blue hedgehog was sent bouncing back from the hawk's massive chest. Unluckily for him, Scarseye had just had most of his power stripped away from him upon merging gangs, and he was not in a joyous mood. And on a good day, the least he did to an offender was beat him to a pulp. "Why you little-" He raised his wing- only to have it stopped in mid swing by a certain pink bounty hunter.

"Your fight is with me." She growled.

The bystanders had backed away from the commotion now, giving a wide berth to the threesome. "Aren't you the bitch that keeps catching my drones?"

"The one and only." Amy leered, now twirling her hammer behind her back.

Whoa! It's like she gone through a total personality change! She's cocky... a lot like me, actually.

Sonic was now forgotten, as hedgehog stared at hawk and hawk stared at hedgehog. Suddenly, with a roar, Scarseye aimed to hit a blow to Amy's head. "I'll teach you to mess with me!"

Amy dodged the hit easily, and precedded to introduce her hammer to his face. Scarseye saw it coming, however, and blocked the hit with one arm. He grabbed the hammer, wrenching it out of Amy's grasp, and threw it far out of reach. "Finally! Now let's see how well the bitch can fight without her puny hammer. Hey, why are you still smiling?"

The leer had only left in the instant Amy's hammer disappeared. Now it was back. "Stupid birdie." Her voice's tone was rough now, almost evil. "That hammer was only one-"

She unsheathed her sword here.

"Of"

She was swinging it almost wildly, cutting off many of Scarseye's feathers.

"My"

_Swing!_

"Many"

_Swing!_

"Weapons!"

_Swing! _The ground was littered with chopped up pieces of black feathers now. "Mess with me, and I get angry. Mess with my hammer, and that's when I start to go a little crazy!" Amy didn't get to enjoy being crazy for long, as Sonic, in all the commotion, had sneaked away, retrieved Amy's hammer, and smacked it on Scarseye's head. He fell to the ground, inconscious. Upon seeing the unmoving body in front of her, the crazy glint left Amy's eyes.

I wish I could say this was the craziest I've ever seen her.

"Well?" Sonic leaned on the hammer. "Not bad for my first try, huh?"

"Give me my hammer." Amy held her hand out, voice slightly muted. When it was back in her hand, she proceeded to attack Sonic with her hammer again. "You idiot! Do you realise how many innocent people could have gotten hurt when you rushed in like that? If he wasn't such a nincompoop himself, he could have taken someone hostage! But no, you still barged in, and I had to go in and save you."

Oh boy...

* * *

**This chapter is basically just filler, but also establishes the relationship between Amy ans Sonic. Amy sees Sonic as an irritating guy with too little patience. Sonic sees Amy as a little more hammer-happy than usual. And a little crazy.**

**I'm so sorry the quality is so low, but I got this massive nosebleed (twice!) , and my forehead is still cold from the ice my mom pressed against my head. ****Brrrr.**

**So, the usual: R&R, I'm taking oneshot requests, and oh-**

**TDSonic135 has requested a ShadAmy oneshot. I'll be writing it over the weekend, and it should be up to read on Monday. If any of you are interested, feel free to read it as well!**

**Buh bye, now.**


	11. Chapter XI: The three meet

**Ah, another Friday, another weekend off tomorrow. ^.^**

**I'm soo sorry for the crappy quality of this chapter, but I think I have a cold. Nosebleed and headache a stuffy nose, and everything. Ouch. I'm starting to wonder if I'm not getting a little off track with the quality of my writing.**

**I can't help but think that this story would be better off as a comic. I mean, I see it happening as actual manga drawing or something like that, then I write down what I see. I'd probably try drawing this myself, but I can't, for the life of me, draw manga/cartoon characters. What do you think?**

**"Chapter XI: The three finally meet, and Amy almost mistakes Shadow for a criminal. Oops."**

* * *

The sky had almost faded to a pitch black when Sonic had managed to drag Scarseye's body to the jailhouse. (Amy made him do it by himself for being such an idiot.) The unnamed lady at the desk didn't squeak at the sight of another unconscious body... much. Still, she winced as she gingerly turned the key in the lock of his cell.

Sonic whistled. "Sure is dark out. So what now?"

"There's an inn by town square, we'll see if we can't get you a room there. Now come along."

Sonic caught up and was now walking beside her out the door. "Aw, can't I just-"

"No." Amy's hand snapped out to hit Sonic squarely in the face. "It's not even my house, I just happen to be staying there. Besides, I don't trust you to keep the house in one piece. And I _know_ what you're thinking." She growled at him. "Don't think that living under the same roof as me will give you a chance to get rid of my amnesia. I am _not _interested in remembering you."

_It's not going to get rid of my headache, either._

Aw.

* * *

Unlike the market, Slate's End's inn was not filled with people. Though Slate's End was actually well known for its market, the town itself was really quite small; the number of permanent people living there was about 400. As it was, the inn had only a few people working there, and even fewer staying there.

However, the occasional straggler came here as well, since the inn also doubled as a bar.

The entire building appeared to be made of wood, from the ceiling to the floor to the long, L-shaped counter that was situated on the left side of the lobby.

On the 'inn' half of the building, the shorter leg was facing the door, and a purple hedgehog with a bored expression on her face was sitting behind the counter. She was houses in what looked like a mini booth built around her, encasing her completely but for the very front. There were several small hooks hanging on the wall of the booth beside her, all rusted, as if in bad need of a replacement. A few of them were empty, bu most held a tiny key with a tag attached to it, bearing the number six or nine.

The rest of the counter was devoted to the 'bar' half of the building. Bottles were stacked on their side on shelves here, of beer or wine or just plain water. An alligator worked as the bartender here, using both his hands and his tail to mix drinks. Amy also spotted a familiar white bat working there as well.

She shoved Sonic in the bar's direction. "You go get a drink or something. I'll get you a room."

"And I'll pay for the drink with what?"

"You have rings, don't you?" She hissed.

What's her problem?

"Okay, okay." Sonic was still glancing back at Amy when he rounded the corner, so he didn't see who was sitting on the first seat of the bar until he heard a voice say. "So you made it, faker."

There, lounging on his seat with a glass of water, was Shadow.

"Shadow?"

* * *

After Sonic convinced Amy to put her hammer away (She was convinced by Sonic's shout that Shadow was some sort of criminal that had followed his from Mobius) He managed to explain that Shadow was the one who was with him when he Fell. Amy, then Sonic, sat down at the bar and explained what they had been doing up to now, from Amy's amnesia to Sonic running into Scarseye. However, as Sonic was telling his story, Amy's mind was drifting off.

_Cocoa, Cherry, me, than Sonic and Shadow... All five of us are here, Fallen from Mobius. That must mean..._

_The war will start soon._

"Amy?" Sonic was waving his hand around her head. "You fazed out." Amy was briefly reminded of Cocoa when she too had noticed Amy lost in her thoughts.

Amy shook her head a little. "So where'd you end up Falling, Shadow?"

"Yeah, where you've been buddy?" Sonic asked, while Amy busied herself with her drink. "I'd go looking for you, but ended up finding Amy instead." Upon seeing Sonic wince, Amy shot him a dirty look.

**Strange that all three of us ended up be 'chosen ones'. It's even stranger that Amy has lost her memory. All her affection for Sonic seems to a evaporated.**

Shadow's red eyes blinked slowly, like he was tired. "I ended up falling on top of tent in the Marketplace. I've been getting familiar of the area ever since I escaped from the Creepers' base-"

Amy suddenly sprayed cider from her mouth, almost hitting the other two. "WHAT?"

_He knows! I've spent months looking where those goddamn Creepers were hiding, and he finds out his first day after Falling!_

Shadow was surprisingly undisturbed by her sudden outburst. "That's not all. The leader talked to me too."

"Huh?" Both Sonic and Amy exchanged surprised looks. This time, nothing (literally) came out of Amy's mouth.

"He intends to stop the Fallen ones from defeating the Accused, because he is convinced that Valtrix will come back in the form of the Accursed, and continue conquering Aljandria. He intends to be on the winning side, he said." Shadow brought out the tranquilizer dart. "They also have these, along with guns. Their technology they have is far more advanced than what they have on the surface."

"Surface?" Sonic wondered out loud.

"There's a green and blue striped tent somewhere in the market place. It's hiding a trapdoor that leads to the underground base of the Creepers. The leader's name is Flame, he mentioned kidnapping one of the Fallen ones already."

_Cherry!_

Shadow went on. "Flame tried convincing me to join him, but I refused. However, because of that, the Creepers tried to kill me. They're determined to prevent us from banding together, if not with them."

"Then we'll have to stop them!" Sonic raised both hands, mimicking a fist fight. "So when do we go after them?"

"Hold on cowboy, did you forget what happened when you rushed in earlier today?" Sonic sweat dropped.

Not really...

Amy continued. "If this rescue is going to work, we need a plan of action. Here's what we can do:

Using what Shadow told us, we'll find the tent that hides the trap door.

We incapacitate the guards, but don't knock them out.

We make them lead us to where Cherry is being held, (That's the name of the Fallen one they kidnapped, fyi.) and where they have all the gear. You know, the guns and tranquilizers and such.

Making as little noise as possible, we rescue Cherry, and steal everything else.

So? What do you think?"

"Uh..." Sonic made a 'so-so' sign with his hand. Shadow didn't say anything.

"Oh, come on! I don't see you guys thinking of anything better! Whatever, you have a good night's sleep, faker, because we're executing an ambush tomorrow." Sonic winced at Amy's usage of Shadow's nickname for him. "Don't let the skurs bite." Amy got up to leave the inn. "I'm going home."

"Wait, what are skurs?"

"Giant flying blood-sucking ticks with stingers!" Amy called behind her back.

**Oh, she's developed a new sense of humor, too.**

Great. Just great.

* * *

Amy was laying in bed, still unable to get to sleep. Lately, she'd been kept awake by thoughts swirling about her head, all about the two new Fallen ones. The two hedgehogs were to say the least... strange.

_Shadow is just plain mysterious. He hardly said anything last night, but I can already see that he's hiding a lot. He seems reserved, but strong. I don't hate him, I just don't know him._

_Sonic, on the other hand, is just plain cocky. He certainly means well, but he rushes too much. I'm not suprised if he gets himself killed tomorrow. If he's going to survive, I'm going to have to teach him a lot more than-_

_Oh my god, he is my apprentice. How the hell is Lila always so right on?_

_I hope Cocoa and Cherry are doing okay. I _will _save you guys!_

With that, she fell asleep.

* * *

In the hospital, a brown rabbit lay in bed. There was no one else with her, as the doctors and nurses had left for the day, leaving her to rest. She had been in a coma for months now, and doctors weren't sure if she would ever be able to wake up. Cocoa was going to prove them wrong, though. Her body may have shut down because of the infection, but she was going to fight it.

Summoning all her strength, she flexed the fingers of her right hand, and was still again.

* * *

**Wait till Sonic and Shadow find out that Amy wasn't joking about the Skurs. XD If you don't remember why Amy doesn't like the bat working at the bar, go back to the chapter "He DESERVED it" when Amy was still looking for a job. It's not so much the bat that she doesn't like, it's the unpleasant memories she had while trying to get a job under her.**

**Wah, this chapter was so hard to write! This cold is getting to me. I'm not going to make any hints about what's going to happen during the rescue, but I assure you, I'm going to make the ambush as awesome as possible.**

**Also, what do you think is going on with Cocoa? No, she's not going to die! I just want something interesting to happen when she wakes up, that's all.**

**Finishing this story is going to be hard to pull off...**

**Don't forget, oneshot requests are still open. TDSonic135 has already requested one, and it should be up by Monday, maybe sooner. Don't forget to check it out!**


	12. Chapter XII: The Awesome Ambush

**I'm sorry to report that this might be the last update for a while, considering I'm starting school TOMORROW. 8th grade is gonna be tough... so I might be dead for some time. To tell you the truth, I think I've done a good run with this story. having an update 1500-2600 words long EVERYDAY (not including weekends) is tough. So there. Don't flame me, cuz I don't deserve it.**

**I swear, I WILL be back. I'll update as soon as I can, considering I have two other stories to take care of.**

**Important note: I've also updated a oneshot requested by TDSonic. Please R&R, it's lonely.**

**"The Awesome Ambush. Oh, and slight lemony snicket rip-offs"**

**

* * *

**Cocoa was dreaming, as usual. Three months ago her body shut down, but her mind did not. So, for three months, all Cocoa could do was dream. This dream, however, was different. For one thing, she could see nothing but blankness, save for someone standing in front of her. For another, that someone was a stranger. Wierd, usually her dreams were full of things that she recognized, but this guy... she had no idea who he was.

He was _old. _White beard, bony frame, everything. He was draped in a fine robe, frayed at the edges through age and tear. White wisps that made up his hair and beard flowed over his shoulders. In his hand stood a cane, made of dark wood and an unearthly glowing ball trapped in tendrils of wood at the top. Despite his grand appearance, he looked thin and fragile, like a heavy weight was bore on his heart. He looked like an old, weak man. He looked like a wizard. He looked like, like...

Cocoa gasp as she realized who he was. He looked like _Jacob._

The withered slit that made up Jacob's mouth curved up in a smile. "I see you recognize me, child." He rasped. His voice teemed with age as well.

"But... how?" Cocoa asked.

"I hope you realize that I don't have much time." He continued. "You must warn the others at all cost. I have hidden myself where it will take some time for the Accursed to find your village, but Valtrix will strike there first. He has merged himself with the Accursed, and still holds a grudge against his place of defeat. And after he attacks Slate's Edge, he will stop at nothing until the rest of Aljandria has fallen under his control as well. I have used the last of my magic to contact you, but I cannot do so with the other four chosen ones."

Cocoa dropped the bomb. "Are you going to die? Is this why you're telling me this?"

"Unfortunately, nothing lives forever, only can be reborn again. I'm afraid my time has come, but yours has just begun. Go, Messenger, and do your duty." With one last smile, Jacob started to fade, as if whiteness started clouding over him. But Cocoa knew what was happening.

"No!" She cried. She reached out to Jacob...

And woke up.

Nurses' jaws dropped and doctors' eyes went wide. A patient wakes up after three months of being comatose, screaming about Jacob the Just. What to do? Send an urgent message to Amy telling her that Cocoa woke up.

However, the message never got through. The nurse sent to the Jail house came back with a note, saying that Lila and Amy had gone out on "unfinished business".

* * *

"Weapons?"

"Check."

"Shadow?"

"Check."

"Apprentice?"

Amy winced at the A-word. "Check."

Today was the big day. the day that Amy would lead an ambush against the Creepers in order to rescue Cherry and save Cocoa. Lila would be fighting her own battle, trying to find her lost sister Missi. The four of them (Amy, Lila, Shadow, and Sonic) were overlooking the Market now. Because Shadow was the only one that knew exactly where it was, he would be searching for the tell-tale tent while the others prepared. Amy and Lila went over their checklist, and Sonic streched his legs.

"There." Shadow pointed in the direction of a blue and green striped tent amidst a crowd of them.

_He's found it. Cherry, here i come!_

Alright! Now let's get this show on the road.

Amy ran up tot the tent. Upon seeing her, the snake and bobcat inside panicked. They had recognized her. "Oh, thissss ain't good." The snake hissed to his companion. "We gotta alert the boos, pronto!" Which meant "Tell Flame that their base had been discovered by one of the two bounty hunters in Slate's End." However, he never made it to the trapdoor, as Amy had grabbed his head and jammed it into her knee. With another hiss and a gulp, he fell to the floor.

Amy noticed the bobcat backing from her. Her face split into an evil grin as she went into 'crazy bounty-hunter' mode. "Well, I see you know who I am. And you know what I'll do to you unless you cooperate." She grabbed the bobcat's vest and pulled his face close to her's. "Now, what do you know about the whereabouts of Cherry the rabbit?"

The bobcat pointed a severely trembling hand at the trapdoor. "She's in there. Just turn right and keep going until you find a door." He opened his mouth again, probably to beg for mercy, when he too had his face meet Amy's knee, and slumped unconscious to the ground.

Amy poked her head out the tent's door, shouting to the other three, "I got it!" She opened the trapdoor, letting Shadow, Lila, and then Sonic through before jumping in herself, closing the door behind her.

_Phase one complete._

They were inside the base now. Right now, all they could see was a large tunnel in front of them, connecting to the tiny room that they had fallen into via trapdoor. It spanned left and right, curving slightly away from you and you look down that end.

Amy made a 'shh' sign and then whispered to the group. "They don't know we're here, so be quiet. You know what to do. Lila, you're searching for your sister." Lila nodded, and padded off to the left.

"Shadow, you're going to see if they're hiding any kind of machinery, weapons, anything. Either destroy it or steal it. If there'a anything that looks like medicine, make sure you take that too." Shadow went in the same direction as Lila.

"Sonic, you're coming with me." She and Sonic turned to the right, like the bobcat had said.

_This is going to be a longshot. Shadow is the only one who's been here before, and even then, he's only been in one room. We have to try all the doors, and who know what's behind them. Finding Cherry will be tough._

After wandering around, checking doors and looking through windows, Amy realized the pattern. The biggest pathway was curved left, forming a circle. While in the circle, to your left and right were smaller pathways that branched off into their own miniature maze. There were no guards in the wide circle, but also no doors.

About 200 doors and 400 beaten up guards later, the whole group met at the end of the circle, one last door to check. It was the only one left, and the only one that was directly connected to the circle.

Shadow had done his part, he had found several rooms filled with assorted weapons and had destroyed them all. However, Cherry and Missi were still missing. It was now or never.

Amy opened the door.

In the center of the barren, stone room stood three figures. Two of them immediately broke away and ran towards the four. One of them was Cherry. The other was a purple cat, an even light shade than Lila, who was suddenly reunited with her sister. "You came!" She cried as she hugged Lila tightly.

The third figure, however, stayed still. He too, looked similar to Lila, and his face split into and even similar grin. Lila was not happy to see him. "Hello, Flame." She said in a hostile voice.

"Hello, sister."

_What?_

"Lila, we have to get out of here!" Amy urged her. "Come on! It's too dangerous now that someone's seen us."

"Oh, come now, stay awhile. Besides, I've heard that your friend has gotten very sick, hasn't she?" Flame took out a vial filled with clear liquid shaking it in front of Amy's face. "Well then, I'm sure that you wouldn't want to leave empty handed for her."

_Damn!_

Without warning, Amy lunged for the vial. Flame dodged easily. "Well, if you're going to be that way..." he drew out rapier, preparing to strike.

Amy took out her own sword, parrying his blows. "Get out of here!" She yelled to the others. "This is my fight!"

They didn't. Or, at least, Sonic and Shadow didn't, they got ready to help if needed. Lila ran, along with the two escapees. "I'm comin' back once I get Cherry an' Missi somewhere safe!" She hollered. "I ain't leaving you!"

Flame's blows were getting fiercer now, rapier blurring as it increased in speed. He was gaining the upper hand, and Amy was being forced backwards. He was about to lunge for her throat-

"Chaos spear!"

"Holy crap!" Amy and Flame both jumped back as a streak of green light hit the opposite wall, punching a hole straight through.

_How the hell did he do that?_

"You didn't tell her yet?" Sonic raised an eyebrow at the black hedgehog.

"Shut up."

The blast had sent both cat and hedgehog in the walls, knocking them unconscious. Shadow took the chance to rescue Amy, scooping her up and fling her over his shoulder. "Let's get out of here." Pausing to take Flame's vial, he and Sonic sped out of the base.

Alright! Mission accomplished! I hope Amy is okay, though...

The three hedgehogs were making their way out of the market when Amy came to. She opened her eyes to see herself carried by a familiar black hedgehog. "Shadow?"

He looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"I miss Cream."

* * *

**So Amy got her memory back... what will happen next?**

**I'm sorry to say you won't find out for a while.**


	13. Chapter XIII: Don't like songfics?

**Ugh, I don't like the nosedive my writing quality took. I guess it's from being banned from the computer on school days. My skills are going rusty.**

**Anyways, because I've gotten little feedback on whether or not to do a songfic chapter, I'm going with my decision to do it anyways.**

**"Don't like Songfics? Too bad, I'm doing it anyways!"**

**

* * *

**Three days.

That's how long Amy had to stay in the hospital. It seemed necessary, since when the three hedgehogs stopped franticly running from that trapdoor, they discovered that the back of Amy's head was covered in blood. Apparently that bump restored her memory _and _caused her to suffer intense bleeding.

Oops.

Suffice to say, she really need those bandages. Say in bed, sleep lots, no escape. It wasn't all just changing bandages and sleeping. She got to see a visitor a day.

Like Cocoa.

* * *

_"Amy!" With a cry, Cocoa flung herself into the pink hedgehog's arm upon entering the room. Amy immediately felt a wetness seep through her hospital gown. Cocoa had been crying. Even more strange, she was awake._

Wait, how did she...?

_"You're okay, you're okay!" Cocoa choked through her tears. "It was terrible. Valtrix -he's back- Jacob's dead!"_

_"What? You mean-"_

_Cocoa sniffed, and nodded. "It was some scary dream. I think I saw him die." The emotional trauma the rabbit had gone through showed clearly on her face. "It's the beginning of the end." She whispered in a hoarse voice, before burying her face into Amy's chest again._

_What lovely news to get from an until recently comatose patient._

_"Cocoa, how do you know this? We didn't get the medicine you needed, weren't you in a coma?"_

_"Y-yeah. But I saw Jacob in a dream, and then I woke up. Like that. I think he saved me."_

* * *

And Shadow.

* * *

_"Hey, Shads." Amy gave a small wave to the black hedgehog as he walked into her room._

_Shadow perched himself on Amy's bed, looking at her intently. "So, your memory is back?"_

_"Er, yeah, I think so." Amy rubbed her head a bit, on her left temple. "I think I got everything back... I'm not sure."_

_"Huh." After that, they stood in silence for a while, unable to figure out what to say next. Over the next few seconds, both of them suddenly remembered Shadow carrying Amy out of the Creepers' hideout. And, in the same instant, both were surprised to find that they were fighting back blushes._

What's going on? My face is getting so hot...

**_This shouldn't be happening..._**

Since when...

_**Did I have feelings...**_

For him?

_**For her?**_

_Shadow cleared his throat. "So... I'll be going now."_

* * *

And Sonic. Ugh.

* * *

_"Uh, hi Amy." Sonic poked his head out of the door. "You feeling better?"_

_"Okay, I guess."_

Now that's it's all said and done,  
I can't believe you were the one,  
To build me up and tear me down,  
Like and old abandoned house.

_He chuckled nervously, like Amy would leap out of her bed toting her hammer again. "So how's it going so far?" _

_"...Good."_

What you said when you left,  
Just left me cold and out of breath.  
I fell too far, was in way too deep,  
Guess I let you get the best of me...

_Sonic stepped completely into the room now. "Look, I'm really sorry, about everything. Like the kiss, and all that. I guess if you don't recognize me, I can be a bit of a nuisance." He held his hand, the one that wasn't resting on the back of his neck, out to Amy. "No hard feelings?"_

Well, I never saw it coming,  
I should have started running  
A long, long time ago,

_Amy looked at his hand, but didn't take it. He let it drop. "Amy? What's wrong?"_

And I never thought to doubt you,  
I'm better off without you,  
More than you, more than you know,

_Amy sighed, leaning her head back. "I dunno... It's just that..." She closed her eyes.__._

I'm slowly getting closure,  
I guess it's really over,  
I'm finally getting better,

_Sighing again, she turned her head towards him. "You know what happened the day I disappeared? I was going to ask you to my birthday party, but you just upped and ran away, like always." Her voice cracked slightly, and she was fighting back tears._

And now I'm picking up the pieces,  
And spending all of these years  
Putting my heart together.

_"Everyday, I just want to talk to you, and every day, you run away. What am I supposed to do with you? I just wanted to be friends... " Amy was getting angry now, and Sonic couldn't help but step away from her very slowly._

'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,  
I got over you!

_"How am I supposed to forgive you? Just going 'No hard feelings.' ,And for what? To go back to being your stupid fan girl every time?"_

You took a hammer to these walls,  
Dragged the memories down the hall,  
Packed your bags and walked away,  
There was nothing I could say.

_"I'm sorry, but I'm not going for it anymore." Amy let the tears course down her face, not caring. "It's not fair. I'm not letting you do this to me again. Not again."_

And when you slammed the front door shut,  
A lot of others opened up,  
So did my eyes do I could see  
That you never were the best for me...

_Sonic and Amy were both shaking. "Oh Amy, I'm so sorry..."_

And I never saw it coming,  
I should have started running,  
A long, long, time ago,

_Sonic went over to Amy and hugged her fiercely._

And I never thought to doubt you,  
I'm better off without you,  
More than you, more than you know.

_Amy thought about whether to whack him or not... and decided again it. __Instead, she remained motionless, as if refusing to react._

I'm slowly getting getting closure,  
I guess it's really over,  
I'm finally getting better,

_"I'm sorry." Sonic was crying, too, further soaking Amy's gown._

And now I'm picking up the pieces,  
And spending all of these years,  
Putting my heart together.

_He had hurt Amy badly, and she knew he knew it. He had run away from her too much, trampling her heart every time he did so. She wasn't going to let him do it ever again._

'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through...

_Because the day that Amy collapsed in front of her house, heartbroken for the last time..._

_I got over you._

_

* * *

_**Finally! After 11 chapters (chapter 1 doesn't count) of Amy being horribly OOC, I've FINALLY gotten her to revert to her old personality. She's been going amnesic/mood-swingy a little too long for me. **

**I'm going to stop the chapter there because, well, it's a nice way to end it.**

**I have to say, "Over You" by Daughtry really did fit with this chapter. So much, it's a little creepy. "other doors", one of which I hope will be Shadow. Running. The hammer. ****"abandoned house". "fell too far". **I didn't even plan that bit! 

**Scary.**


	14. Chapter XIV: Speed on Steriods

**Because I accidentally deleted this chapter, I had to rewrite it from scratch. Sorry about any mistakes.**

**Anyways, in this chapter Speed kills Amy.**

**Just kidding.**

**He does try to stab her with a knife, though.**

**Isn't it fun to mess with people's minds?**

**"Chapter XIV: Speed on steroids"**

**

* * *

**_Three days. I was stuck in that hospital for three goddamn days! Any more of that hospital food and I would have puked!_

Yes, after three days, lots of blood and a ridiculous amount of bandages, Amy was finally released from the hospital. Cocoa was there to see her. Shadow was there. Sonic was there. (For some reason). In fact, the only ones who couldn't come to wish her a happy recovery was Lila and Cherry, who, Cocoa had told her, were treating Lila's traumatized sister. Today was looking up.

At least Sonic and Shadow were back to normal. Sorta.

_If you count blushing and the inability to make eye-contact "normal."_

And then her stomach rumbled. "Hey, Cocoa," She turned to the brown rabbit by her side. "How about we swing by the bakery, and get something to eat that doesn't look like vomited porridge?"

"Great idea! As always."

Amy sighed. The doctors told her to take it easy, not too many snacks, don't do anything rash, and blah blah blah, but a few pastries couldn't hurt.

_Could they?_

Her intuition was kicking in.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Speed waved upon seeing the four enter. He was cutting a loaf of fresh bread, and the smell drifted to Amy's nose, making her mouth water.

"Hey Speed!" Cocoa answered in the readiness she always reserved for the blue mongoose. Amy didn't bother to answer, instead immediately started to peruse the collection of goodies for sale. They always smelled so wonderful. She and Cocoa were in no time deciding on what they wanted to eat first. Even Sonic took a good long look at a danish that slight resembled a chili dog.

And that left only Shadow to suspect anything. To see a malicious glint in Speed's eyes.

**What is he-**

And to see the mongoose start to deftly swing his knife upwards.

**No!**

There was barely any time to even think the word, only to act. He ran, pushing Amy out of the way. Speed's knife sliced thin air. "Damn." Speed cursed and stabbed again, only missing as Amy rolled out of the way.

_What's going on?_

Amy's training kicked in. Getting up, she chopped Speed's wrist with a stiffened hand and wrenched the knife out his grasp. Or, at least, she tried to. Speed's hand was unnaturally strong, and cold. It wasn't his hand.

She and Shadow jumped back, and they, along with Sonic, started to circle the now crazed mongoose. Already having ditched the innocent facade, Speed was growling, a guttural sound sound that came from his throat. He had gone fully feral.

Cocoa, most of all, was shocked by his sudden change in disposition. "Why?" She asked, her voice listless.

"Please. Do you think I 'hung out' with you because I _liked _you? I wasn't interested in you at all. But when the Creepers found out you Fell, guess who they asked to keep an eye on you?" He snarled in answer.

Cocoa made to step towards him, but was stopped by Amy's arm. "Cocoa, it's not Speed. Some sort of impostor... a fake."

"Not even that... not anymore..." Speed's voice distorted, sounding like nails scraping against bricks. His appearance changed, too, the very surface of his skin bubbling like hot water. His frame grew, along with his claws, and his features twisted into a much more blank, much more terrible face. He was no longer the blue mongoose that greeted them whenever Amy visited the bakery. He was a monster, black and oozing with a voice like rusted nails.

"Whoa!" Sonic jumped back as 'Speed' straightened to his full height. "Who is this dude?"

_Valtrix._

Valtrix must have read his mind, because his snarled turned into an ugly chuckle. "And the heroes find the truth. I'm going to enjoy destroying you... once I find a more suitable host..." He almost whispered the last part of the sentence. Clapping his hands in mock applause, Valtrix sent strong winds blasting in all directions. Amy hair was blown back. Then she herself was forced by the wind into a wall of blackness.

_Not again..._

No groans. No twitching. That's how Amy came to. Her training at least helped her here. Springing up, she began to wake the others, who were likewise knocked out. As they stirred, she realized there was no sign of Valtrix. Where he stood there only lay a circle of blackened tile floor... and the shivering form of Speed the mongoose.

"Ow... what happened?" He groaned, and shakily tried to stand up, only to fall down on shaking legs. Valtrix wasn't there anymore. Amy suddenly remembered what Valtrix had said before disappearing.

_I'm going to enjoy destroying you... once I find a more suitable host..._

_Oh god._

_

* * *

_The next day, Cocoa decided to visit Speed, just to make sure he was okay. After all, being possessed by a combination of Valtrix and the Accursed _had _to take a lot out of you, right? It couldn`t hurt to check he was okay, rightÉ

She never got there.

As Cocoa approached town square, she realized that the center, where the stone lay, was swamped by citizens. Cocoa could hear the people talking.

"It can`t be! After all these years..."

"Who do you think put it there? Oh, this can`t be good news."

"But how... the stone has come back!"

Pushing her way to the front of the thick crowd, Cocoa saw what they were talking about. The stone that had lay there was whole.

_Here shall lie the end of the Accursed, where five saviors will be sent from Mobius to ultimately confront it._

_And shall strike it down and create peace for Aljandria._

_The Messenger, who shall fortell the Acursed's rebirth, and whose symbol is the scroll._

_The Healer, who may prevent death, and whose symbol is the grave._

_The Defender, who shall save the innocents, and whose symbol is the castle._

_The Fighter, who, along side the Defeater, shall do battle with the Accursed, and whose symbol is the dagger._

_The Defeater, who shall lay waste to the Accursed or forever doom Aljandria, and whose symbol is the sword._

Cocoa`s hand fled to her mouth, and Speed was quickly forgotten as she scampered in the way she had come. Amy had to hear about this.

* * *

**Considering I rewrote this from scratch, I think I did pretty good.**

**A little shorter than usual, but meh.**


	15. Chapter XV, XVI,  XVII: BADASS

**I ended up combining the last three chapters to make this abomination! Can you guess what the titles spell out?**

**"Chapter XV, XVI, +XVII: **

**Blast From the Past (Oh, that rhymes!)**

**Almost Accidental Swearing**

**Dun dun DUN"**

**

* * *

**

**Rewind: A long time ago.**

_A cat in deep green robes pored over his spell book, reaching for a vial beside him. Gold eyes looked left to right, then back again. The vial in his hand matched that of the picture in his book._

_The fire glowed slightly._

_Valtrix threw some red liquid on it, and waited._

_The fire kept glowing._

_And then the Accursed exploded out it, its head rising out of the flames. Following after were hideously disfigured arms and a torso. It was a monster through and through, like an overly buffed human covered in black shadows. And blood,especially on the talons that tipped each of its fingers. Its whole body was translucent, like it wasn't a solid form. Maybe it wasn't. It had no eyes, but Valtrix could tell it was examining him closely. A slit opened on what he figured was his head._

_"Yes?" The voice was like rusted nails._

_A grin split on Valtix's face. "Finally! The Accursed, finally here at my beck and call."_

_"Unfortunately."_

_Valtix frowned. "I have no time for for games. Accursed, posses-"_

_He was about to say "Jacob." But the Accursed didn't let him finish, trying to posses _him_ instead. The Accursed turned from beast to shadow, forcing itself into down his throat. Valtrix staggered, falling onto his knees. But when he look up, his eyes were red as blood..._

_"Finally." He spoke in a voice that was not his own._

_

* * *

_Cocoa shot up from her bed, screaming.

* * *

She wasn't the only one suffering from nightmares. Amy was tossing and turning in bed, re-living something in perfect detail...

_Amy opened the door._

_In the center of the barren, stone room stood three figures. Two of them immediately broke away and ran towards the four. One of them was Cherry. The other was a purple cat, an even light shade than Lila, who was suddenly reunited with her sister. "You came!" She cried as she hugged Lila tightly._

_The third figure, however, stayed still. He too, looked similar to Lila, and his face split into and even similar grin. Lila was not happy to see him. "Hello, Flame." She said in a hostile voice._

_"Hello, sister."_

What?

Amy woke up screaming that night, too. She could hear Cocoa shrieking, too.

_You've gotta be kidding me._

* * *

"Lila?" Amy was leaning against the wall of the jail house, polishing her sword. Today was an off day for them, there simply weren't any more criminal to catch anymore, mainly because they were all freaked into hiding by the return of Valtrix. But Valtrix hadn't made a move, which meant he was still plotting, probably.

Lila was leaning against her desk."Yes'm?"

"Can you explain to me how your brother _is the leader of the Creepers?_"

Lila went very quiet. "I sup'ose I should, shouldn't I?"

* * *

_Missy, Flame, an' I grew up real tight. Three peas in a pod, you'd hav' called us. We were happy; parents, a home, the whole shebang. But that wos' before we found out what our mum and did was doing behind our backs..._

_They was a worshipers of the Accused. Our parents was slaughtered that very night by angry villagers, and we've never been the same since._

_Missy and I wanted nothing to do with the Underworld, but Flame... did. When he went up and disappeared, we didn't think too much of it until the Creepers started to show up..._

_

* * *

_She went to say more, but was interrupted by the fact that the front door had just exploded, along with every lock to almost every cell door in the building. Criminals short and tall, fat and puny (you get the idea), were poring out like water from a leaky canteen.

Flame leered at the two bounty hunters, his eyes now a striking red. His hand was covered in black, withering shadows, like they were oozing. "Hello, sister." He spoke in a voice that was not his own. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some followers to collect." He gestured to the escaped convicts now nearing the three of them. In the same moment Amy and Lila realized that all of the approaching convicts were also Creepers.

"Oh yeah?" Amy spoke defiantly. "You and what army?"

Flame's leer grew wider, and black dots grew in the ground behind them. The dots turned into portals and and army of hideous creatures from the underworld rose up to meet the surface. They were all like vivid nightmares, looking like things from mutant animals to twisted things that nature never intended.

_Oh crap._

Amy could sense the Creepers surrounding her and Lila from behind. They were the surrounded; the hunters had become the hunted.

"Oh fu-" She started to say, but she was cut off by Lila.

"Now hold on, girl, you can't say that word in a Teen rated fanfic!"

"What, fudge?"

"Oh. Neva mind, then."

The two partners sprang, preparing once more to fight for their lives.

Amy analysed her surroundings. Behind her, escaped criminals with a grudge were aching to beat her up. In front, there was an army of ungodly creatures from hell waiting to tear her limb from limb.

Oh yeah. She'd seen better days.

She glanced at Lila. Lila glanced back. They'd been ready for this day ever since Amy Fell. It was time to kick some Accursed butt.

_"Now!" _She roared. In fluid motions, she and Lila set to work hacking the underground creatures apart, using their sword and daggers respectively. They worked as a team, covering each other's openings and keeping back-to-back. If anyone else was watching, their eyes may have burned up due to witnessing pure awesomeness.

Unfortunately, everyone else there was either being hacked into bits or Flame, and he was unimpressed, due to the fact that he was currently possessed. When the creepy thingamajigs from hell were finally disposed of, no look of surprise met his face. He smirked instead.

"My, my. Is that the best you've got? Frankly, I thought you two would be a challenge." With that, everyone vanished. The Creepers, along with Flame were swallowed by shadows rising from the ground, and within moments the Jail house was empty, save for Amy and Lila.

Lila looked around, scouting for any who were left behind. "What just happened?" She murmured.

Amy answered, equally soft. "The war has just started. Flame, or Valtix-whoever he is anymore, he's going to finish what he started all those years ago."

_And I am going to kick his butt._

_

* * *

_**It's still a little short, despite my best efforts. Oh well, at least I updated, right?**

**Please review. Their like food and drink to me. One simply cannot live without them.**

**NOTE: I accidentally deleted "Speed on Steriods" Sorry! I'll have to rewrite it from SCRATCH because I don't have a saved copy any where, which sucks.**


	16. Chapter XVIII: Hell is Unleashed

**Yeah yeah, I said I'd update every two weeks, but school is killing me. *sigh* Can you believe that when I first started this story, I managed to punch out 2000 words on average a day?**

**Anyways, I have TWO BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS to give today. **

**The first is that I have started a webcomic version of "Amy+Amnesia" on Smackjeeves, which you can check out by typing that in your url box. I've always imagined the story happening manga-style, and then I'd have to type it up on the computer. (As you know, Fanfiction doesn't allow urls.) Go Check it out! Just type in smackjeeves and the com thingy and then copy and paste ?id=88160 .**

**But wait! There's no comics there! That's because AFTER I created the webcomic I discovered that I couldn't draw for crap!**

**Or create sprite comics.**

**Or write it out, because that's what I'm doing here. **

**I should have really thought that out first, huh?**

**But that's why I'm asking YOU for help! If anyone wants to join the Amy + Amnesia comic, then JOIN US!**

**Or rather, me. I NEED YOU AND ANY ART SKILLS YOU MAY HAVE AS I POSSESS NONE!**

**Second announcement: We have finally reached the climax (or at least the start of it) of the story! Yay! That means blood will shed, secrets will be revealed, beliefs will be doubted, and Lila will die-**

**Opps! I said too much, didn't I?**

**"Chapter XVIII: Hell is literally unleashed. Several times."**

* * *

_"Where is it?"_

With an indignant squawk, the elderly crow was thrown to the floor. Flame, or at least the dark magician residing in him, growled. Grabbing his victim by the collar of his vest, he snarled again, "_Where is it? Where is the sword?_"

"Sold it..." Came the strangled whisper. "To..." That would be his last word, as his eyes rolled up, and his torso seized up, and stopped breathing. He had died of fright.

With a snort of disgust, Valtrix threw the now dead- and useless- body to the ground. Bones cracked audibly as they were crushed by the force of impact, but the noise was ignored.

Another dead end, and this one was the closest one yet. That sword was the only thing preventing him from finally domination all of Aljandria. He needed that sword.

He just didn't know it belonged to a pink hedgehog named Amy Rose.

* * *

Shadow's day wasn't faring any better.

**Just one day of peace and this is what happens...**

All he wanted was one drink from a bar. And yet he was stuck in a conversation with a hooded stranger, a 'traveler' from another town.

"So what about those bounty hunters, eh?" The stranger laughed. "I bet that they'd know a lot about what're up against." Threat Despite the many drinks going down his throat, he just wouldn't get drunk. Shadow hoped he would soon, so he could slip away. The other's words were blurred to him.

But they were crystal clear when he bent over. "Probably'd know a lot about what I'd need to know." Red eyes flashing underneath the fabric covering his face. The same red eyes Speed had while _he _was possessed.

Shadow's head snapped to glare at him.

**Valtrix? So he's found a new host.**

"Stay away from Amy."

"Can't do that." As Valtrix left the inn.

Shadow followed him out the door, but Valtrix vanished as soon as he left the inn's threshold. Valtrix was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

"Alright, everyone exit in an orderly fashion. Do NOT panic." Amy was trying to say over the muffled shrieks of the little kids. Yet another portal had randomly opened up out of nowhere, this time flooding a restaurant full of people. Yet another portal had literally emptied monsters on her head. It would take weeks for her to get the goo out of her quills.

_Ugh, this is the third panic this week... within 10 meters of me! If it's not bad enough that they make a mess whenever they decide to show up, I have to clean it up every time! Not that I don't take the threat of a possible takeover of demonic creatures from Hell seriously, but this is just getting old. It's just... repetitive._

Finally, the last of the civilians were cleared and she and Lila got to work. Punch. Kick. Slice. Pound. Hack into tiny, tiny, pieces. There were so many to kill the different, hellish creatures from, well, _hell, _but the hedgehog and cat had done them all.

"Well, that should be the last of them." Amy sighed as Lila stabbed a shadow... remnant... thing in what she thought was the chest. It dissolved in the usual mass of screams and curses, and then there was silence.

Lila looked at Amy.

Amy stared right back.

In unison, they said, "I'm bored."

"Are there any actual criminals on the lose anymore?"

"Nah. They'd be wettin' them pants of theirs on account of those-"

Lila's sentence was cut off as a cat resembling her tore a hole in the restaurant wall, his hands ripping through the wood as if it was nothing.

Valtrix grinned, dropping the smoldering pieces of wood he had crushed. "Hello, 'sister'." With a quick glance at Amy, he added in a lazy tone, "And you too."

_Well, it looks like things aren't so boring anymore._

And then:_ 'And you too'? I'm an afterthought?_

"So..." Valtrix continued. "Where is the sword, 'sister'?"

Both of the bounty hunters instinctively got in a defensive pose. "I go' no idea what yer talkin' about."

"Don't play dumb with me! I know you have have it! That sword is the only thing between me and getting rid of every damn living thing in this village. That black hedgehog didn't tell me what I needed, so you must have it. Give it to me now and maybe I'll spare your life."

_And what about me?_

Goading Valtrix with one hand, Lila gave a grin to mirror that of her brother's body. "Stand back, Amy." She called out to her protégé. "This here's my fight."

Brother and sister headed for each other at the same time, his fist almost connecting with her blade. Lila deftly dodged Valtrix's attack and swiped her dagger at his shoulder. The blade cut the sleeve of his shirt, but nothing else.

Valtrix stopped and turned, once again smirking. "Didn't even feel it." Waving his hand at Lila, he snapped his fingers.

A black ball of crackling energy shot towards Lila, connecting with her shoulder. It was enough, however to send Lila in a spasm of pain, black electrical tendrils wrapping around her. The cat had no time to react, and a second crackly ball was already whizzing towards her.

_No!_

Instinct took hold of Amy. With the familiar feel of metal materialize in her hand, Amy brought out her hammer. She aimed, and swung, shattering the orb that was about to give a second blow to her mentor. With a final fizz and crackle, it dissipated into black, drifting, smoke. Again and again she swung, hitting anything that came her way.

Until Valtrix's fist shattered her hammer, and started heading straight for her. Punch after punch followed, and it took Amy all her speed to dodge them all. However, Valtrix was slowly gaining the upper hand, pushing the hedgehog towards the very hole he punched through minutes ago.

Amy saw it, but didn't have enough time to dodge. Another punch headed her way, this time laced with red energy. This punch was looked lethal, and there was nothing Amy could do able it.

_Damn. Again. Has being possessed somehow made him superhuman? This is insane!_

_*shing*_

Whipping out the sword was her last bid against Valtrix. For some reason, the blade failed to cut his skin, but he froze all the same, his eyes locked on Amy's sword. They both realized in the same thing in the same moment.

The sword Valtrix was talking about?

_It's mine!_

Valtrix lunged, hand wrapping around the sword's blade. He didn't hold on long, however, as he leapt back, cursing. His hand left the blade, but didn't draw blood. Something black started to grow from his hand, crawling up Valtrix's arm. He hissed as he grabbed the infected arm. Glowering at Amy, he growled, "This isn't over."

Shadows grew from the ground, consuming Valtrix. When they finally sank down again, he was gone, leaving only Amy and

_Lila!_

She had been lying inert the whole time, whatever spell Valtrix had cast on her taking a toll on her. She was pale, still, and hardly breathing.

_Oh my God. Please be okay, Lila._

Amy carried her mentor as best she could, taking her to the only one she trusted to help Lila.

_Whatever happens, please be okay._

* * *

Back in the Creepers' lair, Valtrix hissed with pain. His true form had started to seep through the cut. Concentrating hard, the black ooze receded, and the cut on his host's hand healed.

That sword... it was definitely the one. Jacob had crafted exactly one weapon, specifically to take Valtrix's life. It was the only thing in the world capable of cutting through his defenses. And if it took his host's life, Valtrix would die too. He had to be careful. He had exactly until the next new moon until he was strong enough to conquer Aljandria. But until then, he needed to survive and find a way to destroy that sword. Closing his eyes, Valtrix slept.

And Flame took over once more. His eyes shot open as he regained control, gasping for air. Regaining control of his body was like emerging from a deep pool of water, and Flame didn't like it. What had bothered him most, however, was what had happened at the restaurant.

Valtrix had shot his sister, possibly killed her. He knew they would all die eventually, but why so soon?

* * *

**OMG I'm FINALLY done!**

**Yeah, I probably shouldn't have done that to Lila... but in school they said the mentor always dies in adventure stories, so... yeah.**

**Just kidding. Do you really think that she'd die that easily?**

**P.S. Didn't ANYONE figure out the last few chapter's' titles? If you didn't get it, then i'll have to show you:**

**_B_last From the Past (Oh, that rhymes!)**

**_A_lmost _A_ccidental _S_wearing**

**_D_un dun DUN"**

**See? BADASS! Ha ha!**


	17. Chapter XIX: Another Predictable Twist

**Holy crap, that was a long case of writer's block. 8th grade is a killer... who knew I'd have so much homework.**

**So enjoy this horrendously short chapter, brought to you by March Break! **

**Chapter XIX: Another totally predictable twist.**

* * *

"Missy, would you mind handing me that bottle over there? Thank you."

A bottle of blue liquid waved itself under her nose.

Cherry sighed. Missy had not spoken a word upon arriving. Whether it was shock or just plain shyness was unclear. But for now, there was no where for the poor cat to go, so she was helping Cherry out in the apothecary. Helping patients, doing inventory, etcetera, rabbit reached for the bottle, only to be interrupted.

Amy had just blown down the door, shouting like a manic.

"CHERRY!LILAGOTHURTBYVALTRIXANDSHE'SBARELYBREATHING!FIXHER!"

"Amy! Calm down! What happened?"

Amy gasped for air. Dragging an innate body for the town square to the Longhairs' secluded house was hard, even for her. Instead of wasting several seconds trying to catch her breath, she instead pointed at Lila, who was dropped to the ground when Amy rushed in.

Taking Lila's pulse, Cherry's eyes widened.

"She's barely breathing! What happened?"

"Valtrix... attacked... she got... hurt real bad..." Amy was still gulping down air. "Help her!"

Cherry assessed the damage. It wasn't good. Lila's body, or what she could see of it, was covered in bruises, and she was sure there would be internal bleeding. Blood seeped through her shirt, and behind her closed eyelids, Lila's eyes were still. Yet as she looked up at Amy's frantic face, a change came over Cherry that Amy never thought she would see from anyone.

"Leave everything to me." Cherry announced. Light practically shined from the rabbit as she rolled up her sleeves and looked into Amy's eyes. Cherry smiled, a grin that said she knew what she was doing and everything would be okay.

IT.

WAS.

AWESOME.

But of course the awesome moment ended all too soon, and Cherry got to work actually saving Lila's life. Her hands blurred as bandages were applied and cut, poultices were made, and herbs put under Lila's tongue. She finally stepped back, revealing Lila, heavily bandaged, comforted, and probably unable to move, even if she was conscious.

No one had noticed Missy, who had run off when she recognized the other cat's face. She had run into the kitchen, hand over her mouth. Her whole body shook, as she choked out her first words in months.

"Can't be... he said she was..." Missy hadn't forgotten about what her brother told her. How he saved her from a skirmish in her family. What she said... and what their parents said. The good Flame intended to do when he came to power.

And what both of them had to do, should either of them meet their sister again. Reaching for a drawer, she hesitantly put her hand in, drawing out a sharp knife. Her brother started the job. She was going to finish it.

* * *

"How do you feel?"

"Dizzier than when I got myself sucked up by a dust devil. An' trust me, I got real dizzy then."

Amy let out a relieved sigh. Almost mortally wounded, and her mentor still knew how to crack a joke. Cherry had worked a miracle, saving someone from an inch of death in a matter of minutes. Granted, she cleaned out half her stock while doing it, but that's what made her a healer. Maybe that light wasn't her imagination, then? It was as if an other-worldly force had willed it.

Amy's thoughts of Gods, prophecies, and sheer luck were interrupted by the door of Lila's guest room (Cherry had insisted on letting her recover in the comfort of the Longhairs' home) opening, un-oiled hinges complaining loudly. Purple fur peeped out from the crack. For the past week, Missy had been visiting her daily, the most the overly-protective Cherry would let her. Amy had a hard time seeing the point, though. All she did was kneel there with hands behind her back and tremble for a while. But hey, who was she to interrupt the family-like bond between two sisters? It's best to let them have their privacy, she thought to herself as she got up to leave the room.

Plopping herself onto a seat at the kitchen table, Amy suddenly asked, "Hey, Shadow?"

"...Yeah?" Asked the black hedgehog who hadn't realized that Amy realized that he had taken the time to check on her, only to start staring at her absentmindedly. Realizing that fact suddenly found him blushing.

"Do you think everything's going to be okay? Back in Mobius, Sonic always saved the day, and everything always went back to normal. But this isn't Mobius. Sonic isn't going to be the hero this time, at least I don't think so. I've got no idea if this... _mess_ is going to work out, or if we'll all get out of this _alive._"

Hesitantly, for fear that Amy would further demonstrate her ninja powers on him, Shadow walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

He spoke softly. "I'm sure everything will work out. We'll do what we have to, and try to find a way back home. And maybe you're right. Sonic won't be the hero this time. Maybe you will." Leaning over, Shadow suddenly found himself hugging Amy. When they drew apart, he then said the stupidest thing in his life.

"You're not going to hit me, right?" Amy laughed and decided to just give him a playful punch on the arm.

Unfortunately, like Cherry's godlike glow, the moment didn't last for long. A shriek and a crash suddenly reached Amy's ears, and her legs suddenly bolted towards where she knew it was coming from.

_Lila!_

* * *

The surprisingly stubborn door suddenly gave way to reveal a truly horrifying sight. The sister lay in opposite corners of the room, both bloodied, both unmoving, but only one barely breathing. Lila gasped for air, clutching the same knife that covered her in lacerations. Missy, on the other hand... didn't. She was dead.

* * *

Lila gave her story days later, when the lash on her throat healed.

"Classic Stockholm syndrome, it was. After being kept by my own brother for so long... was only a matter of time before she get turned against me. Been happening a lot actually. Pretty soon, everyone is suddenly lined up against you."

Amy stared, not sure what had happened to her mentor in those few short minutes with her sister.

* * *

**I wonder why I like to kill of my characters so much. Also, get used to it! Someone's dying next chapter, too.**

**Guess who it is!**


	18. Chapter XX: CRAP WE'RE GONNA DIE

**I am back, baby! Unfortunately, this _will _ be one of the last chapters of Amy + Amnesia. The story is drawing to a close. I figure there's this chapter, one more, and an epilogue. And good thing too, I can feel my writing skills disintegrating as I write. Curse you, chores I have to do in the summer!**

**Just read it, I'm sure you'll agree...**

**"Chapter XX: CRAP WE'RE GONNA DIE!"**

* * *

The next morning, Sonic went to visit Amy with a proposal, which ended up leading to a very confusing conversation.

Amy raised an eyebrow at the paper Sonic had given her. "You seriously want me to say this?"

"Oh come one, it's not _that _bad. Concise and straight to the point." Sonic wheedled. "Besides, you owe me after tearing my heart out with your bare hands."

"I didn't no such thing. It not like you ever returned my affections before. And why are you still being so friendly to me? And stop changing the subject! There's no way I'm saying _this _in front of who knows how many professional killers without getting some kind of sharp, pointy thing thrown at my head."

"Oh, just try it. And P.S: I never thought you'd ever decide on me. To tell you the truth, I'd always thought you'd end up with Shadow."

"Shadow!" _Don't blush don't blush!_ "What makes you think that?"

"Come on! Girls always go for the dark mysterious dudes! Even if they end up with the main hero, they end up getting second thoughts, dumping the hero, and yadda yadda yadda. Besides," He said under his breath. "I'm not the only only who thinks so."

_..._

A snicker made it's way out of the pink hedgehog's mouth, followed by full blown laughter. "Get- Get out." She choked between laughs. "Now!"

"What?" Said a confused Sonic as his butt was kicked through the door.

_Pfft. Dark mysterious dudes..._

"Out!"

But scarcely after she shut the door behind her, her face changed from one of mirth to solemness.

_Well shiiiiit. He's right._

* * *

**This.**

Is.

_Crazy!_

_Oh, it'snotgonnaworkit'snotgonnawork-_

Amy, Sonic, Shadow, Cherry, Cocoa, and Lila stood on a wood platform,, staring at the throng of people crowding beneath them. Amy had realized it was going to take more five chosen people and an unstable bounty hunter to take down a powerful entity bent on enslaving everyone. So she decided to recruit a little help. That is, 'a little help' meaning every bounty hunter who answered her ad. Amy and her friends had spent a week putting up posters to attract them. It was simple, yet attention grabbing.

ALL BOUNTY HUNTERS

INTERESTED IN A THOUSAND GOLD PIECE HIT

ARE TO REPORT TO TOWN SQUARE

NIGHT OF THE NEXT FULL MOON

And so there they all were, about to speak, and completely terrified. It was shaming. They had saved lives countless times, stood up to demons... and they had stage fright.

"You feeling alright?" Shadow whispered to Amy, genuine concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I think so." Amy answered in equally muted tones. Glancing behind her other shoulder, she asked Lila the same question. Amy was a bit worried about Lila.

Giving a weak smile, she nodded. Lila hadn't said a word since her 'incident', but at the very least, she hadn't gone insane and tried to kill anyone.

Amy stepped forward and began to speak.

"Many of you have heard the rumors that Valtrix of the prophecy is not a rumor. They are true." _God, I sound so corny. _Ignoring the outburst of unbelieving mutterings , she continued. "Valtrix has already been sighted, has already tried to kill, and is due to rampage on any day. Many of you don't believe me right now, but I guarantee, if you ignore the signs, there _will _be consequences. I'm asking you, as a fellow bounty hunter, to help me defeat him."

It was a wonderful performance. If Amy was flustered and scared out of her mind, she didn't show it. Yet, she couldn't help but show on her face the disappointment when, one by one, each hunter turned and simply walked away, grumbling about what a waste of time it was and how crazy the idea was.

Shadow and Sonic both moved to try and 'convince' them otherwise, but were both stopped by a hand.

With a sigh, Amy made to jump off the platform. "Come on, guys, I guess it didn't work." However, as she looked at the crowd, she froze, and also had to prevent herself from falling.

It wasn't just elusive ninjas, or high-tech hunters, or giant killing machines barely covered by loincloths in the crowd. Either she was completely blind for the half hour prior, or they'd somehow stayed hidden, but Amy started to see _children_ in the crowd, waving sticks and toys like weapons in the air. And not just kids. Mothers had come, keeping their more unruly offspring in check. Fathers too.

The citizens of Slate's end were no cowards. They realized the signs of war and were prepared to defend their home to the end. Amy could see the hard, determined look in their eyes, the look that told her... she had her army after all.

"Well," she spoke just loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Let's do this."

And then she and everyone else on the platform were thrown off as the wood collapsed, but instead of falling down, it was forced upwards by the geyser of black... _stuff _that had rushed out of the ground moments earlier.

Amy was wrong. Valtrix wasn't set to attack any day now. He was attacking _today_.

The black _stuff _appeared to be dogs. Ugly dogs with oily black tentacles, massive jaws, and no visible nose. Super large ears swiveled back and forth, detecting even the slightest sound. Their stomachs were lean, the chest covered in pointy spikes. In fact, every sharp surface appeared very, very, lethal. The dogs grinned, drooling acid slime, as they sized up the crowd, possibly the whole population of Slate's end.

And then someone screamed. It was the cutest little voice Amy had heard, and it was emitting a blood-curdling battle cry.

"ATTAAAAACCCCKKK!"

And everyone surged forward.

* * *

Amy couldn't move. Actually, neither could Sonic, or Shadow, or Lila, or Cocoa, or Cherry. They were in shock.

Everywhere around them, black dogs were being subdued by children, crushed under their weight. Sticks and stones were thrown with great force, and unwanted toys were pelted as well. But it wasn't just them. Their parents had joined in, using farming and cooking tools to stab and slice. A lucky few had full blown weapons, either somehow taken from the Creepers' secret stash or manufactured in secret. The creatures had no hope. Everywhere they turned there was an angry face and some kind of lashing out, followed by screams and rants and cries of "You won't take our homes again!"

In other words, they were getting _pwned._

_How- how is that even possible? _Amy's jaw dropped open further when a kid half of Cocoa's size unleashed a series of what looked like karate moves on a quickly dissipating pile of black goo.

Shadow leaned over, and, as if he read her mind, whispered in equally shocked tones, "Either they've been preparing for this in secret, or they are just insane." His breath in her ear made her shiver a bit.

At last, the creepy black dogs seemed to have been defeated, lying in heaps of oozing black goo. Amy couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

_At least it's over..._

_..._

_Oh come on!_

The goo was moving, traveling at a very fast pace towards the hole it had originally exploded out of. As the pieces of goo met the figure that was clawing it's way out of the hole, they seemed to meld into one.

Amy gasped.

Whatever they had just beaten, they were at the bottom of the food chain.

* * *

**I thought of the story line from here to the end while I was eating chocolate chips. Am I weird or what.**

**And fear not! The epilogue isn't the end of Amy. There's still the alternate ending... You do want to read that too, don't you? Just let me know if you want to see it or if it should stay buried in my document file forever. **


	19. Chapter XXI: The End Just THE END

**OH GAAAAWD, this seriously shouldn't had taken me _over a year _to finish. I apologize for my negligence. I've left this fic for so long I'm starting to look back on past chapters going, 'Ew, did I really write that?' And now I'm forgetting the plot itself! I promise you, the next time I write a fanfic, I'll complete it first, then upload the chapters one by one. For now, enjoy the ending of Amy + Amnesia!**

**"Chapter XXII: The End."**

* * *

Wandering through a thick white powder, you suddenly freeze at the sight of another being. He's a young man, with almost translucent skin and dark, short, hair. Given that he's the only being you can see for miles, approaching him seems like the best choice to finding out where you are.

He adopts a look of shock at your face. "You..." He starts flipping through a book wildly, making the pages fly. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Excuse me? _Here?_" You ask him, hoping he'd tell where 'here' is.

"Heaven."

"Heaven? I never thought-"

"No, neither did I. I'll explain." With a wave of his hand, the dust clouding your vision parts, revealing... _you. _More specifically, you standing over the dead body of your sister. "Lila Hunter. Your record shows you were supposed to be sent to Hell due to the fact that you murdered your own sister, an act that caused your number of sins to dominate your number of virtues."

Flipping to the end of his book, his face creases into a slightly confused frown. With an absent-minded flick of his wrist, the scene before you changes.

* * *

_Dark._

_Deformed._

_Grotesque._

_Disgusting._

_Evil._

_Those are the only words that can describe this creature._

_Black tendrils and red pinpoints of light intertwine and shift constantly. Despite this, the overall form remains the same; a giant. A head peers at its would be victims, grey eyes bulging from its sockets. And over sized chest rests upon short legs, ending in stumps protruded with claws. Its arms reach all the way to the ground, no visible fingers in sight. A gaping hole of a mouth rips open and you see him, half formed into the hideous flesh of the creature before you. Your brother-_

_No._

**Valtrix.**

_There's no witty banter, no bragging, no wicked grin. Valtrix simply raises him arms, and starts to kill, smashing everything in sight. As the lumbering forms starts its path of destruction, several vines of black started shooting out of the body as well. While some citizens are slaughtered by falling debris, others are stabbed through the heart by these new weapons._

_But the creature's prey wasn't going to be easily taken. Blades bore down, and where they cut pitch black flesh, it shriveled and fell to the ground. Shadow led the way, using chaos control to further the process of killing off the monster, bit by bit._

_Sonic used his speed to the best of his abilities, rescuing people from near death, bringing them to Cherry, who tended to the wounded._

_It was all going so well..._

_Until you see Amy, hacking at ones of the tree trunk-like legs. She doesn't turn around in time to see the black thing dart for her chest-_

_"NO!"_

_Who's screaming? You don't know. You don't know anything, except that you're running towards Amy and reaching for her to push her out of the way and-_

_something stabs you through the side, burning like fire._

* * *

"What?" You exclaim at the dust that clouded your vision once more. Realizing you wouldn't get an answer out of it, you turn to the figure beside you. "And then what?" You question.

"And that's it. You died and came here." Sigh a sigh at your confused expression, he continues explaining. "Your record shows that because of this last-minute act, your virtues and sins are both equal. The usual procedure is to send you back as a ghost until you manage to accomplish something that will finalize your judgement. So? Are you ready?"

"'Suppose so." You mutter confidently.

"Good. So my shift won't have to be extended." And with one unceremonial shove, you're sent back the way you came.

* * *

Everyone participating in the battle realized they were falling in a pattern. Chop off anything black you see. Bring the injured to safety. Run back into the open. Pray you don't get impaled. Repeat.

'Everyone' meaning everyone except for Amy. _She _was hauling herself up the monstrosity herself, attempting to make contact with what she knew was the root of the problem. While the giant smashing limbs and murderous vines proved to be problems, the source of it all was the figure that stood, half melted into the mess of black and red. Valtrix, in the form of a possessed body. If the 'brain' of the entire operation was him, then it would be easy to destroy a body as frail as a his; Amy's training had seen to that.

_If he goes down, it all ends... hopefully. _She prayed while slicing yet another clump of goo that was trying to smother her. She was almost there. Just one more ledge to scale and...

She saw him.

_Or is that an 'it?'_

That thing... though it was never human in the first place, it was currently even less so than it should have been. But still spoke, and still it reasoned, and it did so, with the familiar tone of grating nails.

"Hello again, Amy, at the risk of sounding cliche, I've been expecting you."

_Completely unprotected, not to mention half welded in the floor... this looks rather easy. I'm shocked._

"Hello, Valtrix. At the risk of sounding cocky, you're going down." And with a flick of a wrist accompanied by a war cry, Amy was running head on, a katana aimed at Valtrix's chest.

**Crack.**

Gripping the katana, unnaturally strong hands snapped the weapon and had sent her flying, deeper into the monster whose mouth they were currently standing.

_Okay... this may be harder than I thought._

A smirk spread across Valtrix's face.

* * *

"Amy!" You feel like you're banging on a glass window looking in; you can see everything happen, hear every yell and scream, yet you're unable to help.

_That man told me I was supposed to _do _something. _You snarl a thought, if that was possible, as you witness your protegee lift herself up once more.

_But how- _Amy charges once more.

_In blazes- _Vatrix easily leans out of the way.

_Can I do anything- _Amy moves to dodge the blow she knows is coming, but moves too slow.

_As a _GHOST? You howl as you see the pink hedgehog thrown at your feet.

Your eyes meet with Valtrix's, and you bite back a gasp.

_There._

_In his eyes._

It's your brother.

You walk towards him, that ghost of a light (no pun intended) still lit in the monster's eyes. No one, not even Valtrix, can see or hear you.

Being intangible, you walk straight into his body.

* * *

_Sis?_

_What? Brother! What's happening?_

You're back at home. Back at the scene where you and your brother and sister first found out about your parents' secret. It's almost the same, but different... while Flame was as young looking and scared he was that day, you're still your own adult self, looking down at the wide-eyed child at your feet.

_I'm so sorry, Lila. I wanted a change, but I never wanted this to happen! Valtrix and I were going to rebuild everything for the better. But he turned on me... he turned on everyone._

_You can stop this you know._

_...what?_

_It's yer own body! Weren't you the one that had control over it in the first place? Do somethin'!_

_I can't. Not anymore..._

_Try._

Flame's expression changes, and you see him manage one more smile until the whole scenes fades away.

* * *

**Crack.**

Both Amy's and Valtrix's eyes widened, trained on the line of blood seeping from the slash traveling diagonally across Valtix's chest.

_Did I just land a hit?_

She had. And now everyone is staring in shock as Valtrix starts to claw at himself, screaming in agony as a sudden internal battle for control starts. Eyes flash back and forth as Flame attempts to reclaim what's his, while Valtrix holds on to what he has stolen. He makes a move to strike Amy, only to be stopped by his other hand.

_**This is your chance! **_You scream as loud as you can into Amy's ear. **_Stop him!_**

Whether she heard you or not, you don't know. Nether the less, Amy shakes herself out of her daze and lifts her arm up with one of her many blades in her clutches.

You close your eyes, and then there's just screaming. Anger and pain. Disbelief and defeat.

Then finally, silence.

As you open your eyes to see your surroundings melt around you and Amy flee, you feel yourself fading away. Your time is up. When you go back to... that other place, it'll be decided on whether you go up, or down.

An odd feeling of peace comes over you as the last bit of your already translucent body fades away. You have a good feeling about this.

* * *

**That's the end. I'm sorry it was so terrible, but I had to end it. I've had enough of my bad writing oh Gaaawwd...**

**If you want an epilogue, I'll write an epilogue, but to tell you the truth, I've had about enough. It's done. Next time I write a story, it'll be better than this.**

**OH GOOOOOOOODDD.**


End file.
